egret in flight

One lone stick in his ample beak,
   he soars to his mate’s side
     building a nest for hatchlings
high in the rookery
   in the low country swamp…
     danger lurks in the murky depths,
gators waiting to grasp
   at any tumbled, fumbled eggs;
     but he stretches his forceful wings
and watchfully circles the area,
   imposing his presence on the brooding scene,
     home created one stick, one stake at a time. 

Liz McFadzean