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Land of the Free
By Linda Taglio
He reaches through the fog
of our estrangement.
"Come outside, I've got
something to show you."
His chin gestures carelessly at
a power pole in the field, I squint.
"What am I looking for?"
He offers binoculars.
I spot them right away.
A pair- magnificent and rare.
Through focused lenses, the female's
white head swivels and stares back.
He swells his chest and rises,
the six-foot span glides in circles;
His beak, in profile, designed for tearing
flesh is precise enough to groom her
feathers and feed their young.
He returns, power and purpose
braking surely, settling gracefully.
Respect and envy merge,
I watch them for a long time.
Bald eagles mate
for life.
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