Egret

I was fascinated by the birds in Hawaii, especially the egret who I had only ever seen around livestock. It turns out very little of the vegetation and wildlife original to Hawaii remains. Non-native birds and plants brought to the island over the years have taken over. We were walking from a parking garage to the beach, a distance of three hundred yards or so when I observed an egret escorting tourists back and forth along a concrete path. What was he doing?

EGRET

Our ancestors were brought to this land along with 
lumbering beasts that grazed grass along the 
lowlands and beaches, cattle ranches on
islands of the South Pacific.
They used us as escorts to keep
pests off their prizes, a handy 
arrangement for us all.

Then resorts and high-rises rose up over sedges
along with ornamental trees from
foreign lands. These days I escort different beasts
from the beach to the parking garage
using their shadows 
to startle geckos and lizards and insects that live
in manicured shrubs along the concrete path.
Lunch. Lunch. Lunch.
This is my beat. Back and forth, 
Matching stride for stride these
clattering chattering creatures
with their chairs and Doritos and suntan lotion.

My cousin lives at the condo next door and follows
an arborist around. He waits for the saw, eyeballing then 
spearing critters that fall to the ground. 
Lunch. Lunch. Lunch.
I can’t abide the silent scream of these amputations 
even from invasive foreigners. He has his beat,
I have mine.

The Ua’u scoff that we are users. We say we are adaptable.
Ua’u says they would rather die than betray the wild.
My cousin and I shrug. Suit yourself. You won’t be the 
first or the last to die on principle. 

Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

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*Ua’u – Hawaiian Petrel (endangered/endemic)