Old Blue - An Illustrated Tribute
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Old Blue,  the Heron Hero,  stands alone - aloof -
Apart from the ubiquitous hosts of strange  creatures
Who gawk, and talk, and move about the park.
Who watch his rituals and imagine he watches them
With the same curiosity that impels them to watch him.
Who analyze his posture - his moves - his stares -
As signs of human innateness -
And - that he cares.

Unmoved - that he is more popular
Than lesser stars on American Idol -
And more  photographed than Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley -
And Marilyn  Monroe -
Old Blue goes his way, unperturbed, on nature's stage.
Shaped by evolution and rehearsed through necessity,
Old Blue wades and waits - and stares through lenses
Made precise for their singular purpose:
To spot and track a fish, his prey,
In clear or murky  waters -
On a bright or cloudy day.

His weapon - a handsome, sharpened spear,
At the end of a long - graceful - neck,
Which, when  drawn back, compressed and cocked
Is not unlike a coiled spring - or crossbow string.
And when Blue pulls the trigger, the spear
Is propelled with bullet-like velocity to deliver
A paralyzing stab that impales the unsuspecting fish.
This act is repeated - and,  often, too -
Not  to entertain admiring, doting, fans -
But, for the life of Old Blue.