A Bird's Eye View

Up in the clouds a heron is soaring. One flap and her fluent frame glides, creating new shadows. From this airy vantage point the heron watches the chaos that is about to unfold. 

The heron spies a container ship. Even from up on high the ship is imposing: the bright colors of the containers make a chocolate box of metals... but there is nothing to interest the heron. The container ship is careering downstream.  

The heron also sights a cruise liner. The heron finds this giant of the river much more inspiring. Once again it is massive, but this time the colors of the deck present a platter of opulent tourists with their lunches served in German-sized portions. The cruise liner is grinding upstream. 

The heron's eyes would be stolen by these plates of pork and fish but for the small shape that sits between the container ship and the cruise liner. 

Outlined in black is a tiny tear that is pointed at both ends. In the middle of the tear are two blocks of blue. At the back of the tear is a yellow dot and and at the front is a blue dot.  

Intrigued, the heron descends for a closer look. The tear is actually a vessel and the blue dot and yellow dot are the hats of humans. Knowing that humans in small hats are invariably fishing, the heron descends still further.  All the time she remains wary of the two gigantic ships that are encroaching in front and behind.

The two humans appear to have pieces of wood but they are not fishing lines. Although the vessel sits in the middle of the river the yellow hatted human urinates into the water, exactly as the heron would. The two humans speak their funny language and drink form bottles... but there is no sign of any fish.  

Growing bored of these floating humans, the heron flies away. As her feathered wings propel her into the clouds she cranes her neck back for one last look. But this last look does capture the imagination of her tiny eyes with the imagery of a large lunch.  

The container ship hurtles downstream on the right. The cruise liner gropes upstream close to that right channel. On the far right, the tiny tear-shaped-vessel is also now moving.  

As the two giants pass the water becomes angry. The heron sees the white of the waves. The two boats huff and puff and the river replies with her spray. Slowly, the two pass like ships in the day - obvious and yet avoiding confrontation. 

Much more interesting for the heron is the blue dot, the yellow dot and their tear. Up and down; left and right. The tiny tear jumps through each wave and slaps into the next. 

The heron watches this unusual sight in hungry anticipation... lunch could be just about to get a lot more meatier than usual. The tiny vessel bounces and sways, slips and slides rises and falls... but the two dots remain in their perches.  

The heron stays spying on the tiny vessel for a good few minutes after the waves have died down. There are plenty more fish in the sea but only one pair of crazy canoeists.