Night Heron

Red trees in evening's darkening glow

Breeze cat-footed,stealthy,alert

Like an ashen bird's 

first awakening your eyes 

Take in the night 

Eight night herons voyage on

Eight silent pilgrims or prospectors

In the distance mountains loom

Like destiny

With the bitter reluctance 

of a waking child 

A star begins to blink 

the landscape blurs

no more the song of the cicadas

here let us part

And peal off the pearly flowers of

rainy afternoons

One by one only to move 

on like night herons

And watch each other gently

bear into the night.