<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">Spirit of Place: The Great Blue Heron<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);" class=""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">Out of their loneliness for each other<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">two reeds, or maybe two shadows, lurch <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">forward and become suddenly a life <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">lifted from dawn or the rain. It is <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">the wilderness come back again, a lagoon <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">with our city reflected in its eye.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">We live by faith in such presences.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div class=""><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);"> </span><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">It is a test for us, that thin<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">but real, undulating figure that promises,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">“If you keep faith I will exist<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">at the edge, where your vision joins<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">the sunlight and the rain: heads in the light,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">feet that go down in the mud where the truth is.”</span></p><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19);" class="">- William Stafford</span></div><div class=""><span style="color: rgb(19, 19, 19); font-family: Merriweather-Regular; font-size: 14pt;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Merriweather-Regular; color: rgb(19, 19, 19);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>_______________________________________________<br class="">PoetryLovers mailing list<br class=""><a href="mailto:PoetryLovers@lists.sonic.net" class="">PoetryLovers@lists.sonic.net</a><br class="">https://lists.sonic.net/mailman/listinfo/poetrylovers<br class=""></body></html>