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Waiting for godwits
Today we had a picnic near the broad walk
overlooking a sanctuary for water birds
we have been waiting for godwits
the bar-tail godwits
with their long curved beaks to arrive
special visitors from the Arctic for their breeding
the furtherest distance of migration
we wiled away time observing water birds
sea gulls shear waters egrets spoonbills pelicans
plovers their five chicks
learning to forage in the sea grasses
many species of ducks
their ducklings tucked away
some grazing on the wrack and sea grasses
some gazing about peacefully
and we too gazed peacefully
suddenly the plovers were seriously distressed
birds honked, quacked, squawked as they filled the air
and i looked out to see a dog
wildly flying across the shallows
chasing the fleeing birds
disturbing the wrack and sea grass
with its food of crustaceans and other insects
it chased after any bird that landed again
galloped like a horse backwards and forwards
a man watched on
the still mirrored lake was shattered
the sanctuary was ripped apart
splashed up
churned like a miniature tsunami
finally the man whistled
got on his bike and the big brown dog
sloshed out of the lake followed him
I stared at him leaving . I was distressed.
i was shattered like the lake
broken like a vase into a thousand pieces
so powerless close to tears
my mind my whole being
needed to be picked up
gently mended
my tutor of course to restore calm
the lake
and the birds
