Seen as a wader the gleaner
of these murky margins.
He is in for the long haul. Neck deep,
so gracefully slender.

Mercurial in his marshes
he marshals, lean and tall.
So still yet; quickly rises to flight
a windblown, paper kite.

Something prehistoric visits
town garden ponds. The bathroom
-light that now solicits your own
fountain, disturbs this pool.

Through a small open window-gap
you can hear something flap
like linen hung on a clothesline,
see huge great wings align.

Mark Andrew Heathcote is from Manchester in the UK, author of In Perpetuity and Back on Earth, two books of poems published by a CTU publishing group ~ Creative Talents Unleashed. He is an adult learning difficulties support worker, who began writing poetry at an early age at school. Mark enjoys spending his leisure time off work reading and writing and spending time gardening.