The King and I
October 2, 2012 
He so often appears loomingly large. A neck that extends and contracts. Legs that stretch. Wings that span great distances.
I so often imagine him the king of his small world. The one who rules..who decides..who declares. I attribute him the qualities of any great leader - fortitude...strength...persistence...patience and perseverance. No matter what - he shows up. Whether the sun rises..or it does not. Without knowing if - on this day - there will be any food to feed him.
And then - I see him like this. Small. Sweet. Softly vulnerable. Almost miniscule in a universe that is so much greater. I want to shelter him from the day's rain. I want to feed him. I want to offer him an umbrella and blanket to keep him warm and safe and dry.
I chuckle to myself. I laugh. I wonder.
Will the day ever come when I stop wanting and wishing to be someone's mother??
Reader Comments (23)
A lovely picture and I liked reading what you wrote.
May your dreams come true.
a kiddo dressed in kingly garb? that's quite the imagination.. :) nice catch!
Great photo and great title!
Ohhhhh. What a sweet thought, Marcie. Maybe one day he'll watch over you!
Great capture!
I played too. Mine are here and here.
I am fortunate enough to hand-feed herons and their calculating awareness of the world is legend. When the food is gone, I am discarded with the wrappings. I wish you well with the mothering.
The perfect positioning and fabulous colors!
I had to chuckle at this one - that desire to make the world right, to provide, to shelter - being a mother. I would wager that the feeling never goes away.
Once a nurturer, always a nurturer...what a beautiful, dreamy shot. Lovely!
Very nice shot Marcie
Very nice.
I like the soft colors. Nice,
love the PP for this
Nice read and a cool shot. Night Heron?
Such lovely words, Marcie, and it's brought a smile to my face, that last line! Soft and gentle photo too ...
Haha! I agree that they often look kind of hunched and sad. So sweet. But how o how do you capture him so often? I am more likely to be almost there, but not quite as the King flies off away from me.....again....what a wonderful photo:~)
Sad color and feeling...melancholy.
A very vulnerable king is he.
Nice....i like the mood in this photo...
The falls colors make a lovely surrounding for this elegant bird.
He does look like he needs some good mothering here--great shot Marcie!
love the painterly quality
Lovely. My eye goes straight to the Heron. I like this pose, head down, hunkered down. Perfect composition--a line leads horizontally across where the Heron is, from shore to shore. Superb colors.