Shaun R. Pankoski

Ode to the Egret in the 7-11 Parking Lot

Oh, incongruous beauty, of sinuous neck and articulated legs,
moon white against the rusted dumpster-
my breath catches at the sight of you.

I watch, coffee in hand, as you pick your way
delicately across the asphalt, an effortless glissade,
you of dagger bill, of wary, reptilian eye.

A pause, a contemplation, our lifted heads, your unfolded wings,
tilting toward the cool morning sky,
my talisman, my guardian, my miracle.

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Shaun R. Pankoski (she/her) is a poet most recently from Volcano, Hawaii. A retired county worker and two time breast cancer survivor, she has lived on both coasts as well as the Midwest as an artist’s model, modern dancer, massage therapist and honorably discharged Air Force veteran. Her poems have appeared in The Bitter Oleander, ONE ART, Gargoyle, Gyroscope and elsewhere. She makes a mean corn chowder.