there’s a wedge tail eagle about, lately. it drifts quietly up on high, a ways away from the goings on of the birds down here. the constant racket.
i stand knee high in the grass, watching it. it floats on down towards me, sinking from one downdraft to the next. it gets to about an arm’s length away, and i see it’s as big as me. it’s about to reach me. i feel fear, suddenly. it’s too close. i reach my arm out and press my hand against its beak. i hold it at an arm’s length. it struggles for a minute, and then stops. we stand there, the two of us, for a while. the eagle presses its beak into my hand, and i press my hand against its beak. after a while, it begins to shift to the left. a sidedraft. slowly, it lifts away from me. i give it a shove to propel it back into the air. it floats away.
a shower of very small white and black birds fill the sky and float on down towards me. i lay down on my back and wait. they float right down to the ground like a sheet, covering me. their little feet press into my belly, my arms and my legs. everywhere but my face.