Waterbird
I’ll remember you as a tufted duck
shaking out your feathers fresh from a dive.
You turn to show your snowy flank,
punkish crest and gold eye,
give me a a sideways look.
Another time I find you in a flotilla
of shovelers, scooping the dark shallows
of a flooded quarry. I won’t forget
your hunchy neck, your green face, how
you charm me with flatworms.
Some days you’re plover neat, rounded
and ringed, and wedded to the shore.
Sometimes you’re egret elegant until,
with a chuckle, you flash your sunshine feet.
Published in the Sussex Wildlife Trust anthology, 'Water'
sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/discover/go-wild-at-home/creative-nature-writing/water-anthology-2023