The heron is back. No doubt
it is not the same one as before.
This heron is taller, leaner,
fixes me with a bolder eye. No doubt
the old one is buried beneath the surface 
of shared memory, guiding this newcome
to fertile fishing grounds. No doubt
“One day tells its tale to another”; that 
which one has heard and known is passed
from shell to feather. No doubt
God is faithful from one season
to the next.

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Psalm 19:2 “One day tells its tale to another, and one night imparts knowledge to another.”
Psalm 78:3-4 “That which we have heard and known, and what our forefathers have told us, we will not hide from their children.
   We will recount to generations to come the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord, and the wonderful works he has done.”

___________

This poem first appeared at the Episcopal Journal