I gather dreams here
where withered leaves lay steepless
seesawing on the surface
of the pond
blue heron freezes for the hunt
I watch his stilt legs bend slightly
swift snap, a sun-blessed breakfast
fish wriggles before the great swallow
my dreams are cast
It’s Quadrille time at dVerse Poets Pub. I am pleased to be your host as we “steep” 44 words into a poem. Join us at 3 p.m. EST
mishunderstood 
Dreams are made of this….
Such a beautiful scene. We would often see a heron who visited the harbor, in sight of our deck on the apartment we rented in Bermuda. That beautiful pristine blue water, that gorgeous long-legged graceful creature…and then that head goes down and comes up with that wriggling fish. You’ve described it beautifully here….took me back there which is truly a feat given that it is below zero and grey here today in Boston!
Wonderful word for a quadrille prompt! Thanks for hosting, Mish!
Such a wonderful thing to see such a heron, I remember seeing those wonderful creatures when I visited many years ago…. dreams are made from such matters.
Nice phrase: “sun-blessed breakfast”
What a wonderful start to a poem, Mish: ‘I gather dreams here’! I love the ‘steepless’ leaves and the detailed description of the blue heron, especially the ‘stilt legs’ and the ‘swift snap’. It reminds me of Steinbeck’s description of the heron in the first and final chapters of ‘Of Mice and Men’.
Love the story of the blessed breakfast. fun imagery !
PS- I answered you thoughts on my post. thanks for visiting.
Lots of lovely s sounds – make it sound like softly moving water.
the position of those steepless leaves are like hearts quivering
what an idyllic scene you’ve created. communing with nature
Heron’s are wonderful to watch, so big and so still. I love all your natural imagery. Makes me forget the winter.
A Quadrille for the ages. The stilted homes along the Gulf always remind me of herons. This piece is truly idyllic.
Lovely poem. We had a grey heron one of the lakes in the commercial complex where I worked. Your imagery of the heron is so beautiful and peaceful. Thank you for this wonderful prompt!
A beautiful write Mish, so peaceful.
This is utterly gorgeous! ❤️ I gather seeing a heron in your dream signals the perfect period in life to gain more clarity as to where the future leads. 🙂
Lovely sound to this poem, and lovely images you create in it. I love seeing herons.
Love the alliteration running through this, Mish….”steepless
seesawing on the surface”…….”stilt legs bend slightly
swift snap, a sun-blessed breakfast”…music to the ears!
Awesome use of imagery. You took me there!
“where withered leaves lay steepless
seesawing on the surface”
…and I’m immediately thinking of a midwinter night’s dream. Wonderfully wrought.
Wonderful flow and your images of the heron are flawless. Intriguing title and end line – they leave much open to interpretation.
Herons are one of my favorite birds. This poem is beautiful and brings honor to the bird with the gift of balance.
Oh this is so spectacular! Great Blue Heron hunts in the canal behind us every day, teaching me the secrets of patience and action – you have captured it so well.
I love watching those amazing blue Heron!
An interesting use of steeples! Great images. Nothing is steep on a pond surface! Fish for breakfast! All amazing wonders!
What a captivating poem Mish. Loved the visual it created of the blue heron. Used to love to watch them on the shore when I fished the Oregon rivers and streams.
I like the play on “steepless/sleepless”. Beautiful poem, evocative with casting the dreams like a fishing line. That is really great.
Lovely. It seems you have easier access to your dreams than I do, Mish.
Beautiful blue heron dreams…thanks for taking us to “the shallows” and hosting the prompt!
“Swift snap” brought to mind Lewis Carrol’s “snicker-snack” and made me glad that I am larger than the herons even if I may be smaller than Jabberwockies. We have grey herons in the lakes around our neighborhood, they are graceful and stealthy, and you painted them so well. We were both steeped in dreams this post, beautiful alliteration and flow. Stunning.
The word-whispers here are just so gorgeous, especially this sibilance:
“swift snap, a sun-blessed breakfast”
I have been in that dream… you wrote it vividly, perfectly.
Gathering and then casting dreams…what wonderful imagery. (K)
Lovely! Herons are one of my favorite birds, so lovely to watch in action. And watch I did as I read your poem… a thing of beauty, so peaceful.