for Larry Levis
inter odoratum lauri nemus
The Snowy Egret is a nervous bird.
Men coveted his plumes for ladies’ Sunday hats
and hunted them to rarity
and now he is shy
and will not let you come too close.
He wobbles on one leg not far from shore,
the other agitates the bottom silt, all black
his rapier bill stabs dislodged bugs
as they swim upward
wavering into his reflection.
The inky water hides his yellow feet
that stir what rises toward the surface invisibly.
He never misses. It's his one trick,
his livelihood,
his niche. And so far he is not extinct.