Ekphrasis: Herons Edition

"...if I'd used the hidden camera I'dve had things that I don't have. But I'd never use it. I hate sneaky photographers. There's no respect."- Jill Freedman to Studs Terkel, 'Working'

But first, Vine updates: Monday was Chapter 12: “Hymns and Proverbs of Vine.” Tuesday was Chapter 13: “Christina The Astonishing Part One.” Today is Chapter 14: “Christina The Astonishing Part Two.” You can maybe guess what tomorrow is, but probably not Friday!

This week has somehow gotten away from me already, and it’s only Tuesday. Well, you’re reading this on a Wednesday. Aw hell, it’s an ekphrasis week, on a topic very important to the people of Vine: herons. A screaming heron is gives the Revelation of Vine. Herons take on later significance, but that’s spoiler territory at this point.

Also, herons are important to me because I grew up on a river with a lot of Great Blue Herons, and they’re among my mom’s favorite birds. Hi, Mom.

(For earlier entries in the ekphrasis series, check out the explainer, crabs, ghosts, and haunted houses)

Alright alright, get the boat in the water already, I hear ya. Onto the first heron!

(credit: Wikimedia Commons, Bengt Nyman)

This is a Gray Heron. This is a real Norm Gunderson photo of a heron. That wall of green stalks. That slightly-open-smile face. What a great opening picture. Who picked this? Top notch stuff. Don’t you like herons?

This is a heron in a tree. Being birds, herons do like trees. Being water birds, that’s easy to forget. This dude, looks like they’ve got a nest going. Continuation of the species. Whenever humans talk about the “continuation of the species” it’s usually VC-coded and fascist. Whenever we talk about the continuation of animal species, it makes us conservationists. I don’t think—when we talk about broken things—that we talk about our relationship to nature enough.

(credit: Wikimedia Commons, Sixflashphoto)

This is a Great Blue Heron on Thoreau Lake. Even though herons are great, biiiig birds, they too can easily be swallowed by the vastness of nature. None of us are immune to cosmic insignificance. Great voids, they come for Great Blue Herons, too. Yet on this lake—with all that marsh—the heron is not without dignity.

(credit: Wikimedia Commons, Chuck Homler)

This is a Little Blue Heron. They look like they’re processing the fact that some herons are “Great Blue” and some are “Little Blue.” Implied rankings in species names are a human-made construct, my heron dude. You’re all great, to me.

(credit: Wikimedia Commons, Farid Amadou Bahleman)

This is a Melanocephalous Heron. This heron knew we had to end on a dramatic one. Look at that photo. Posing! Pos-i-tive-ly silhouetted. High contrast dawn/dusk photos are lowkey goated when silhouette is the vibe. What’s Simba and Nala got on that? Nothing. Exquisite, heron.

Sorry you got an email,

Chris