Nothing was moving
I went down to watch the herons
Nesting by the creek

Working my way out
Through the deep scrub, to the point
Silent by the tree

Camo-wrapped I watch
Enraptured as they squonk there
Movement brings me back

His bark is close, mad
Slowly I turn, face-to-face
Furry nemesis

Flicking his big tail
Acorn in paw, leaning out
Tensing to attack

I pull off my mask
He stops, cocks his head, confused
We wait, not moving

Nothing to see here
I turn back to my herons
And he to his lunch

He swings by his toes
Upside-down, crunching his food
Happily humming

Thonk! His prize falls, lost
We look at each other. “Awrrr”
I laugh, he runs away

The moment is gone
Both of us back to our lives
On a warm spring day