The Calvinist

The Calvinist

The heron is a presbyterian minister
Standing gloomy in his long grey coat
Looking at his own reflection in a Sabbath loch.
Every now and again, pronouncing fire and brimstone
He snatches at an unsuspecting trout
And stands with a lump in his throat.
The congregation of midges laughs at him in Gaelic
He only prays for them, head bent into grey rain
As a lark sings psalms half a mile above.

KENNETH STEVEN lives in the Scottish Highlands. He is a novelist and author of children’s stories as well as a poet.