by D. Altaba
The moment I saw this black and white picture of tree branches in the fall and a bird with large wings flying above them, I remembered having seen that same scene three years ago.
Driving in Mount Rainier National Park, my husband and I were spellbound by the natural beauty surrounding us: magnificent trees, high mountains and deep valleys. To capture the place with all our senses, we stopped next to the rock border on a viewpoint.
Suddenly, a huge bald eagle landed on the border by my window.
Surprised, I admired the strong creature and was struck by its
graceful figure and proud, held high head with shinny white feathers tumbling down like a king’s ermine cape over dark feathers that covered its body. The strength of its beck and its posture denoted its superior status in the bird realm, in the animal kingdom, in fact.
All this went through my mind in seconds, for immediately my eyes were mesmerized by its big, alert, intelligent eye that looked directly at me with a defiant, powerful, commanding attitude. Its keenness of vision allows this diurnal, carnivorous, bird of prey to plunge from great altitudes and catch his meal, preferably young mammals.
We did not moved, but as fast as the eagle had come, it departed. It took wing, and we saw it crossing above the branches of leafless trees with its wings stretched out. We shall never forget its short visit and its swift flight.
(Dolors Altaba (Rebeles) has written plays, novels, short stories, and essays. Published works: Aphra Behn’s English Feminism: Wit and Satire,(Susquehanna University Press, 1999). Essays: "Roots of Change" in Embryonic Landscapes, (Actar, 2001); “Aphra Behn’s Comedies” in Restoration and 18th Century Theater Research (1995); “Teaching Browning’s Poetry” in Newsletter (SUNY SB, 1989); “The Mystery of Gems” in
19 comments:
Lovely snapshot, nicely rendered.
Lovely, just lovely. Nice work.
Beautiful portrayal of the majestic beast. Well written.
"its big, alert, intelligent eye that looked directly at me with a defiant, powerful, commanding attitude"
Such incidents explain why mankind has had the tendency throughout history to anthropomorphize birds and beasts, and invest them with paranatural power.
I got the sense I was reading a memoire rather than fiction. Nicely rendered. It would be amazing to see an eagle from such a close distance, and to have eye contact with it. That would have made my Mt. Rainier vacation for sure.
very lush description of a moment. i loved it.
and yes... at times we do require a lot of words to describe a split second feeling. and this never ceases to amaze me. how how on earth can we think so much in just a few seconds...???
:-)
spelling errors turn me off... :(
I like the descriptions, just somehow I feel it was over-descriptive. I would like some space to be left for the readers' imagination as well.
A real life story, yeah?
Nice slice of life. Very well captures and conveyed. Thanks for sharing the memory.
Is "beck" the beak? The phrase "did not moved" detracts from a nice piece.
A nice moment.
A bit odd that we get an ornithology lesson in the middle. Its keenness of vision allows this diurnal, carnivorous, bird of prey to plunge from great altitudes and catch his meal, preferably young mammals. Sounds a bit like voice-over on an old Mutual of Omaha.
Nice description.
Nicely written.
Nothing like a visual reminder of the past; Your narrative voice reads like a memoir.
Washington State is gorgeous. I have great memories of it. Thanks for sharing yours.
my caveat
Something I Would Keep
The image of the bird taking wing - such a nice build-up
Something I Might Tweak
First sentence of the last paragraph, the verb tense is off - "moved" should be "move".
Seemed memoir to me, also, and if this is so, you're fortunate!
Nice.
I love your opening paragraph. Nicely written!
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