The young eagle
screams from its nest
in the towering pine
with the broken top
on the tiny island
across the lily-padded bay.
He screams
out of loneliness
and need for food
deserted sometimes by his parents
stern rigid
in their instincts.
His wings flap wildly for weeks
as he waits for the leap
for the courage
and the hunger
to push him to the edge
feel the wind
see the lushness
of the lake far below
calling out a meal.
He survives.
Survives the fledging flight.
Now the eaglet soars
across the lake
forests fields and skies
to spot a rabbit
miles away
with sight much sharper
than we
who worship him
use his image
for a flag or coin
or ceremony
reflecting strength
majestic spirit
2
giving us the courage
and the hunger
to push on to the edge
feel the wind and soar.
Poem by Janice S. Fuller
Janice is a poet who lives and writes in the desert of Tucson, Arizona, and on a lake in Wisconsin. Her poems have been published or are forthcoming in Amsterdam Quarterly, Caesura, Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, Gyroscope Review, and From the Depths among others. Janice is lucky to be inspired by saguaros and loons.