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Heron

Half-tide hunter
On new-swept shallows,
Lord of the ripple fringe —

Scourge of small crabs,
Flounders' nemesis
Spear plunging from the light —

Gothic warrior,
Stone-carved with your lady
In the cathedral bay —

Byzanthine king
In hieratic pose,
Keep ritual with death —

Steadily home
With an even beat
And the last of the tide.

Mark Richards.