This is a beautiful example of journaling in nature.  It is also an example of how journaling can become poetry, and how meaningful self-reflection is possible through stories and words…

Heron – James Bay, Prevost Island by Duncan Elsey

A heron skims the calm grey water,
chasing its own reflection across the mirror flat surface.

Nearby the kingfisher trills its demand for breakfast,
maybe hoping to catch one of the little fish that occasionally break the surface with a ‘plop’

I hear the whine of the gas turbine,
on the ferry leaving nearby Long Harbour.
On its way to take my fellow islanders to the mainland,
or perhaps one of the other islands.

The sky is smoky from the wildfires.
They said today would be bad for smoke, and for heat.
Reminders of our impact on our one and only planet, our global home.

Not scientific speculation on what could happen.
What is, right here and now.

I doubt we will ever learn this lesson,
or be able to change enough to avoid what is coming,
but I suspect that the planet will take care of itself, one way or another.

Even if we don’t.

Somewhere the heron will still chase its reflection,
and the kingfisher will sing for its breakfast,
long after we have gone.

**

About the Author:

Duncan Elsey is a key member of the IAJW.org and his brilliance is part of everything you see here on our website (and more). He is a fellow journal writer, a friend and a successful online entrepreneur.  He and his wife, Emma Louise-Elsey, have http://thecoachingtoolscompany.com.  They are both amazing people.  You can read more on their blog where this poem/journal entry originally appeared!