Caledon

Sitting
resting
between quick bicycle motion & quick bicycle motion
we sit  
trailside
sipping from water bottles
bikes   kick-stand still
A lady with a walker   walks past
plodding down a long corridor   of tall trees

We remount   & instantly spin past her
while ahead
in the middle of the rail trail
a heron stands   like a stick
as motionless as an iron lawn ornament
meant to trick the eye
into thinking
a heron
stands  
motionless
in the middle of the rail trail

We stop
whisper
approach hesitantly
watch him stretch forth
one foot   & then
the other

I cautiously signal
the advancing senior
to come   & see
a wonder   she has
never before seen
a heron   stretching forth
one foot   & then the other

--
D.S. Martin is Poet-in-Residence at McMaster Divinity College, and Series Editor for the Poiema Poetry Series from Cascade Books. He has written six poetry collections, including The Role of the Moon (Paraclete, 2025), Angelicus (2021), and Ampersand (2018). He and his wife live in London, Ontario.