H e a r t S o n s & H e a r t D a u g h t e r s of A l l e n G i n s b e r g

N a p a l m H e a l t h S p a : R e p o r t 2 0 1 4 : A r c h i v e s E d i t i o n

BOB RIXON

A Common Egret

If I could turn my knees around,

stand patiently in shallow water,

looping my long snake-thin neck

as I stare at the dim shapes of small fish

I stir up with my feet, I would be

a white egret meditating on a meal

in the solitude of salt marshes.

You might see my head raised above

a field of reeds like a strong flower,

then disappear as I strike lightning fast

at the substance of a shadow.

If you look upon me too long, I feel

the hollowness of my stomach, then

unfolding my ungainly wings, I lift myself

a few yards above & distant, to a place

I imagine I am once again invisible.

You would do well to imitate me,

learn the art of fishing

& mind your own business.