Heron in flight

What roused me
           from my daydream
was the sound of a heron
           flying overhead as I stood
in the supermarket car park
           It was down by the Thames
one cold January morning
           and the heavy flap flap flap
of its wings surprised me
           I looked up and watched
as it flew off into the distance
           into the silence

I knew that it was heading south
           perhaps to Crayford marshes
or beyond and I wondered
           whether I would ever see it again

John Lyons