Snowy Egret

The snowy is a feathered chiffon
that is coiffed in beauty,
neat to its ebony legs
and canary feet.
It feeds as all egrets feed
in the muddy bays
and shallows
of slow moving rivers.

It swallows headfirst what it eats,
whether fish or snake.
The catch first bulges its neck,
then begins its slide, as if oiled,
down an expanding gullet.

Not all egret catches are meek.
I have seen snakes leap back out
like a spring unsprung,
so must be picked up
and swallowed again, again and again
until worn down (and probably drowned)
the snake is finally ingested. 

I regret that the beauty of an egret
in the end depends
on the messy process of eating.
But, then, again,
all beauty and art depend
on what’s been digested.