Some waterbirds can live away from land for months at a time, taking all of their food and rest from the ocean. However, these birds are not true creatures of the sea, and their relationship to the water is a superficial one. It is only when the bird dives down to catch its prey that it breaks the surface, and even then, it penetrates only a fraction of its depths. Humans, too, often live lives based on surface-on appearances alone, seldom breaking beyond the outer shell of the world that sustains us. It is rarely that we seek spiritual sustenance at deeper levels. In our society, we look to places beyond our planet for both religious concepts and scientific inquiry-whether we envision heaven as a place high above us or send telescopes out into the universe beyond our sight. 'The Waterbird' contemplates a look inward instead, a diving-down into our own consciousness for as long as we can hold our breath.

Robert Strandquist's work has appeared in subTerrain, The Capilano Review, Prairie Fire, Fiddlehead, Grain, Event, and Canadian Fiction Magazine. Mr. Strandquist has an MFA from the University of British Columbia and has received several writing awards, including a Canadian Authors' Association award for poetry. He grew up in Nelson, BC and now resides in Vancouver. Strandquist has one novel, The Dreamlife of Bridges, and two collections of short stories, A Small Dog Barking and The Inanimate World, published by Anvil Press.

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