The Winged Ones
Eagles, like tress
Sit silently watching
Patient, waiting
Can you imagine
Such keen sight
Not a care in the world
Because there is none
Who are above them
Royalty on a throne
As vast as the sky
I long to be like eagle
Perched atop a mountain
Or the tallest tree
Unconcerned about
the cares and affairs
Of the valley far below me
Observant and Unbothered
A day of heartbreak
Of letting go
And saying goodbye
Tears steaming
Chest burning
With the deep ache
Of grief still breathing
For the one
Who passed along
A love for all things winged
Miles from home
I silently whisper
I don’t want to
But I know I have to
And as my eyes are drawn
To a spot well known
A burst of wonder
Shivers right through me.
Every spring
They gather here
But never before have
I seen what I’m witnessing
A miracle unfolding
Before my very eyes
Hundreds of them
In a field in the middle
Of nowhere
Sitting atop
Low to the ground
Fence posts.
With a sinking heart
We drive right past
And my soul yearns
To just turn around
And be in the presence
Of their medicine.
A deep down knowing
It was a gift sent to me
Straight from him.
I am convinced
The people we lose
Never truly leave us
As long as we know
Where to look for them
As I packed up the rest of my father’s earthly belongings all I could think about were the eagles. I thought for sure they’d be gone upon my return home. As God would have it, however, most of them were still there and I was all alone. So I sat there on the side of the road for 45 minutes. People came and went, trying to get to wherever they were going. I stayed soaking up all of their medicine. I pass by that field every year and see maybe ten or 15 of them. I stayed until, one by one, they began flying to their next destination. My dad was showing up and showing off that day. Just before my dad died I told him, “You don’t worry about leaving me. I know you’ll still be with me. My whole life I’ve had this unreal, extra level of protection over me, dad, and my only explanation is because mom has been with me all along, in ways she never could have been while living.”
Our loved ones are never far if we learn to listen to the whisper of the wind and pay attention to all of or winged friends.