Blue Heron
ROBERT LEE KENDRICK

Two rivers within easy flight,
still he hunts this slit drainage

creek. Monk-hunched, wings
spread like a cloak, he studies

blank scrolls of water.
No silver darter, no dappled sculpin,

but he will stand for an hour,
more. Return the next dawn,

continue attending to nothing,
as now—intent on the least

shifting ripple, all his strength
charged for one lunge to silt bottom.



Robert Lee Kendrick lives in Clemson, SC. He has previously published, or has work forthcoming, in Tar River Poetry, Xavier Review, Louisiana Literature, South Carolina Review, The Cape Rock, and elsewhere. His chapbook, Winter Skin, was released in 2016 by Main Street Rag Publishing. He can be found online at robertleekendrick.net.