Bald eagles look very majestic and stern in still photos, but in person, especially in the wild and not in a zoo enclosure, they seem… ungainly, somehow. Not clumsy; watching them hunt is very impressive, but after the hunt, and before they’ve spotted a quarry, they just seem kinda lopey and awkward. It was a strange feeling seeing this for the first time, kind of like meeting a movie star and realizing they’re just a person. I had this whole schema in my head about what a bald eagle in the wild would probably be like, and I hadn’t even realized it was there until this eagle started demolishing it.
All that is to say that I never really thought about what was happening there until I read this poem. I remember thinking “huh, that eagle is a bit of a klutz”. But I never really thought about the American idea of bald eagle and how it differs from the actual animal.
Bald eagles look very majestic and stern in still photos, but in person, especially in the wild and not in a zoo enclosure, they seem… ungainly, somehow. Not clumsy; watching them hunt is very impressive, but after the hunt, and before they’ve spotted a quarry, they just seem kinda lopey and awkward. It was a strange feeling seeing this for the first time, kind of like meeting a movie star and realizing they’re just a person. I had this whole schema in my head about what a bald eagle in the wild would probably be like, and I hadn’t even realized it was there until this eagle started demolishing it.
All that is to say that I never really thought about what was happening there until I read this poem. I remember thinking “huh, that eagle is a bit of a klutz”. But I never really thought about the American idea of bald eagle and how it differs from the actual animal.
So thank you for posting this, I appreciate it ❤️
They are kinda raggedy up close, you’re right. I’m glad you like it!