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Reflections of Eagle Over Water

-Quotes and poems of the winged bard

With the far darkness made of the rain and the mist on the ends of your wings, come to us soaring.

With the zig-zag lightning, with the rainbow hanging high on the ends of your wings, come to us soaring.

With the near darkness made of the dark could of the rain and the mist, come to us,

With the darkness on the earth, come to us.

Navaho Night Chant (Mathews, 1902)

 

My Winged Inspirations

Gunman Among the Heights - Autumn Laird

Nothing escapes the searching eyes of the eagle.  As sun glinted on metal, it watched the gunman moving among the boulders.  The outline of him was imprinted on its being, the distinctive form of something to be avoided, hated.

Half in anger half in need of confirmation, it turned from him, circled, and dropped in height, alighting on a slab of rock jutting over its mate.  It called distractedly as it jumped down and jumped over the rough ground where it stood, looking at the mass of black plumes and the giant wing, tail feathers white spread, flung in wide unconscious grace.  Blood flowed from the neck and the white of the head was stained red.  Thrust onto the rocks the eagle had fallen.

His life long mate close by, nudging the body for acknowledgement, realized his fate.  For a time it could not accept the knowledge that flooded his being, that not again would these magnificent wings span the world they had shared for so long.  In sadness he dropped off the ledge to find the eyrie home now shattered by the thundering metal.

Restoration

Wet dripping trees broken thaws snow laden skies cumbersome thoughts breath down and exhale each new fresh breath comes quiet squirrels chase tail to tail doe looks up from her grazing we exchange glances and hearts so close as to touch follow coyotes play sand dances spray teal green water crash surf lifting over the rocky gems and water smoothed jets of stone young eagle fly’s welcoming me back where snow clouds scurry to the peaks tuffs of smoke linger in the air camp broken for the night candle lit and flickers in the dim home seeking peace of unity small brown creeper so happy to see once long ago I spied with great friend by side downy and hairy tap away the old growth fallen small golden crowned kinglet comes to say hello while chickadee-dee-dee calls and the small nuthatches ank-ank playing with my eyes always out of range leaves fallen swish and reveal the hidden wood river now seen where eagles dance my bluebell my sister photos of memory regained rainbows dance at the ends of the wind swept clouds bring rain tears of joy I am home, and I am restored.
Chickadee

 Phoebe phoebe phoebe,
sweet chickadee sitting on pine bougher,
calling its cheerful chips,
welcoming the first snow flakes of the season,
they dance on the air like little faerie,
melt as soon as they hit the ground but one by one they gather together,
freeze autumn's rain soaked earth to built up the white downy blanket of cold.

Phoebe phoebe phoebe,
goes the chickadee,
dancing among the last of the aspen trembling in the winds,
flickering in a white and black blur between pine everlasting,
the Yule season approaches and balsam fir residue scents drift through the sheltering branches.

Chickadee-dee-dee-dee,
goes the little bird,
I welcome thee to the winter's night,
chickadee-dee-dee-dee,
as we delight in snow fallen in the light,
chickadee-dee-dee-dee,
help me celebrate seasons eternal might.

Watch the sweet little chickadee,
flicker and flash chattering never alone,
winter's friendly little bird,
you can call to and let him answer,
its Echo's game so play and be merry,
Winter's joyous slumber settles on the land,
but not all is quiet,
and the snow laid tracks lead the way into my wooded glens,
let chickadee lead the way,
chickadee-dee-dee.

Oh Peregrine

Oh peregrine sweet pilgrim traveler of the world round, you rush and you dive in a great arch wielding the sky, circular scoops and patterns in flight fold your wings back holding tight, drop from the air without sight and grasp your talons to all that you command, one out of three successful are thee and come into my vision, of the eyrie heart your battle quest comes complete, helmet of slate blue and shield of a white breast, keeee is your summoning call to charge and you continue your pilgrimages of flight wander of the great world.
Pilgrim
 My small little bluebell,
perched on the shelf of rocky decent,
strong willed you will be the last to fly,
the last to say goodbye,
let me see you grow,
let me see you fly.
The silver winged father encourages,
as brother shows off his new wings,
sister stands quietly by but takes her turn in bravery.
You stand-alone contemplating flight,
you are the one who answers the wind,
calls short bursting kiks to the mountains,
the echo affirming existence to survival.
Mother fly home guardianess of the eyrie,
soul connection met,
I will be you someday mother,
with every ounce of flight,
strong and proud I lived through my childhood days to greet the suns delight.
Dash bluebell as you mock the kill,
surprise is strength and will,
pose for me let me draw your wings,
show me the diamond markings youth brings,
the last of the downy feathers float up to me as your last gift,
of parting weary to give lift,
pose and show me all that you possess,
in you I see myself In you I fly,
so let me see you take this last step goodbye.
To go beyond the rocky friendship,
I draw you in my vision and visit you through sight,
and wish you well as you finally take flight.
In glimpse of time you were gone out of the corner of my eye,
pride swelled as the burst of speed showed your true calling.
Oh little one on the cliff, you sat amongst the bluebells so patiently,
you now rule the winds and wander the way of the pilgrim.
Free Write
My fingers fly to keys they know better than not to go to
Of autumn am I, same as the skyebyrd that plunges swiftly only to rise again with the prize
I cross the bridge tonight
Golden eagle in a sense so wonderful it is of the peregrine the eagle the wind and the dragon all in one my heart soars as a ethereal bird of makers own
I suffer a loss for words with such shyness
The bold play encourages me to fly with my sisters on the nights moon
...A river of the soul.
And I with you as a kitten of ball and yarn toy with the pattering of paws
Once been told free write opens up my soul and I can tap the spirit I don’t know if its true but I feel so calm when I do it
I like to cast an image of emotion
It is to me what a spell is
And I leave my dustings as a way back home.
Tower’s Demise
My heated words sear the hole through my breath a hiss of hot fire escaping the madness and anger of the betrayal of faith I have suffered in eons of tormented searching of self through the guise of friends it is time to retreat from all those who claim to be something they are not and let others not judge me where they have no stronghold on this crumbling tower for it is the wings of the falcon that will let me soar from the demise of the old traps and mazes twisting and turning words and faces found on the stone walls let me free screams the falcon and so I shall be as I change and let it be known this bird is not one of you this bird walks the ways of the wind and feels no regret for its flight.
Sky Dance
I cast my circles in silence to guard my corner of heart, to heal the strength that has been taken, and to give solace to my thoughts, I am autumn and I am skye. Raise my dragon dagger to the earth and plunge it through the air of whistling talon and wings. So the patterns emerge in my pen and I await the dreams of guidance for only in that other world of magick and of wonder can I see my truth and my ability to draw the power home. Be well and gentle for hearts grow weak without the pulse of love that awaits the touch of golden hue. danced in and danced out turned about like the whirling Ferris wheel, one minute in light the next in dark, day and night two opposite ends touching each other in its embraced twilights kissing the dawn and the dusk, moon travels with sun her face faint, pale and unobtrusive while sun shines brightly ever chasing for the ecliptic moment, but in night the cool sky set with diamond children low clouds touching the earth sweeping and wrapping tendrils of love waiting for the mother to still the hearts of day and begin to awaken the scents of jasmine and dew, bear and cougar prowling within with the hoot and calls of the whip poor will and owl, this is mother and this father walking side by side. One emerges from the mist and the other in the sun arc through the clouds dazzling in the day but walking and sleeping among the silent shadows at night to let the feminine have its time for awakening and balance. With the flare of sun to kiss the night sky with colored ribbons grand he sets his arms around her as a symbol of love and dances about like the showy grouse drumming to his mate. They dance that of air and of life connecting all beings with the bosom of the mother swaying the tides with each silent beat of moonlight dancing rays upon the waves and into the dreamers heart, bringing the pale golden hues of mother and father to touch the mind soul and heart in their sky dance.
Moonlight Flight
 As I walk the fresh crisp snow,
Full moon at my back,
A shadow passes my eyes,
And I look to see the bird of the night,
Wings swept the clouds at bay,
parallel to the light,
pass the bright orb of the night,
I watch my sight pass,
Two birds flight,
Come sweet goddess to my side,
Reveal the coming tide,
One of silent love and stride,
Cut the clouds covering the moon,
To reveal the face of her within,
Leapt of joy the tidings good,
I walk home through my wood,
Take with me the moonlit flight,
of two birds passer by.
First Flight
 As the dark little one took flight, my heart soared with delight, calls of laughter on the wind and joyous beats of my heart begin, wings beat toward the sun my little phoenix has come from a weeks of fluff and down to a strong little hunter, of the sky we are one fly side by side in the sun. Blessings to my little ones, I will miss you till I see you when you reach homeland once again.

 

Other More Famous Inspirations

Solitary by the sun,

The bird that has been empires

Knows his time has well-nigh run.

                Robert P. Tristram Coffin

                Excerpt from “Bald Eagle”  

But you never were made, as I,

On the wings of the winds to fly!

   The eagle said.

                Will Carleton

                “Eagle and Aeroplane”  

Suspended by a dirty string

In a dingy down-torn store

With wings wide-spread

A stuffed Bald Eagle hangs

And as the summer breezes blow

Filth-laden through a small window

The regal bird, which one did soar

Above the clouds, above the storm

Swings gently round and round.

                Henry W. Shoemaker, 1919      

 Eagles may seem to sleep wing-wide upon the air.

                John Keats

                Beginning from “Lines Written in the Highlands

After a Visit to Burns’s Country”  

 

 When he glares on his prey below.

                Charles West Thompson

                Excerpt from “The Captive Eagle,” 1830  

 Bird of the broad and sweeping wing,

Thy home is high in heaven,

Where wide the storms their banners flying

And the tempest clouds are driven …

The skies, they dwelling are.

                James G. Percival

                Excerpt from “To the Eagle,” 1843  

 Bird of the broad and sweeping wing,

Thy home is high in heaven,

Where wide the storms their banners flying

And the tempest clouds are driven …

The skies, they dwelling are.

                James G. Percival

                Excerpt from “To the Eagle,” 1843  

 High o’er the watery uproar, silent seen,

Sailing sedate in majesty serene,

Now midst the pillared spray sublimely lost,

And now, emerging, down the rapids tossed,

Glides the Bald Eagle, gazing, calm and slow.

                Alexander Wilson

                Excerpt from American Ornithology, 1840  

Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,

Where wealth accumulates, along with spray.

Chemists and farmers flourish at their peril:

The bird of freedom, thanks to them, is sterile.

                E.B. White  

 

Excerpt from “Ruffed Grouse-Partridge,” 1904

 Skirting the river road, (my forenoon walk, my rest,)

Skyward in air a sudden muffled sound, the dalliance of the eagles,

The rushing amorous contact high in space together,

The clinching interlocking claws, a living, fierce, gyrating wheel,

Four beating wings, two beaks, a swirling mass tight grappling,

Till o’er the river pois’d, the twain yet one, a moment’s lull,

A motionless still balance in the air, then parting, talons loosing,

Upward again on slow-firm pinions slanting, their separate diverse flight,

 

She hers, he his, pursuing.                  

Now rising high in air to sweep

In circling rings the upper deep.

                Isaac McLellan

                Excerpt from “Ruffed Grouse-Partridge,” 1904  

 

            

                Leaves of Grass

 O’erlooking from his eyrie grand

The wide expanse of forest land.

 Walt Whitman, “The Dalliance of the Eagles”

 

 Let us be and doing

With a heart for any fate,

Still achieving, still pursuing

Learn the labor and wait…

                Longfellow  

 

 …The lines are fallen into me in pleasant places;

yea, I have a good heritage…

                Psalms  

 

               Excerpt from “The Deserted Nation,” 1973

 So the struck eagle stretch’d upon the plain,

No more through the rolling clouds to soar again.

                Byron

 

 The wind blows out of the gates of the day

The wind blows over the lonely of heart,

And the lonely of heart is withered away…

                Yeats  

 …So she arose from her home in the hills

And down through the blossoms that danced

With their shadows.

Out of the blue of the dreaming distance,

Down to the heart of her lover she came…

                Noyes  

 

 Why having won her do I woo

Because her spirit’s vestal grace

Provokes me always to pursue

But spritlike eluded embrace…

                Potmore  

 A pair of star crossed lovers…

                Shakespeare  

 Trusty, dusty, vivid, true,

With eyes of gold and bramble-dew,

Steel true and blade straight,

The great artificer made my mate…

                Stevenson  

 

Abrupt with eagle speed she cut the sky

Instant invisible to the mortal eye:

Then first he recognized the ethereal guest…

                Pope

 

 When thou seest an eagle;

Thou seest a portion of Genius;

Lift up thy head.

                William Blake  

 Each to his choice,

And I rejoice…

                Kipling  

 She was a form of life and light,

That, seen, became a part of sight;

And rose, where’ver I turn’d my eye,

The morning star of memory…

                Byron  

 By viewing nature, nature’s handmaid art,

Makes mighty things from small beginnings grow.

                Dryden  

 

 Who seeks and will not take

When once ‘tis offered,

Shall never bind it more…

   …That lightly draws its breath,

       And feels its life in every limb…

                Wordsworth

 

 Everyone has inside himself…

What shall I call it?

A piece of good news!

Everyone is…

A very great,

Very important character…

                Ugo Betti  

 …And a pleasant thing it is for my eyes to behold the sun…

                Ecclesiastes

 

 The brave are born from the brave and good.

In stress and in horses is to be found the

Excellence of their sires; nor do savage

Eagles produce a peaceful dove…

              Horace  

 

   …This sudden strength that catches up men’s souls

And rears them like giants in the sky,

Giving them fins where the dark ocean rolls,

And wings of eagles when the whirlwinds fly…

                Roy Campbell  

 “Flaming Terrapin.”

 The clouds are lightly curled

Around their golden houses,

Girdled with the gleaming world…

                Tennyson

 

 Music bright as the soul of light,

For wings an eagle, for mates a dove…

                Swinburne

 

 Over the land it sailed, collecting heights,

Flapped in the face of each offended crow…

                Campbell

 

 The wind blowth where it lesteth,,

And thou hearest the soul thereof,

But canst not tell when it cometh,

And either it goeth…

                St. John

 

 Nor shall this peace sleep with her;

But as when the bird of wonder dies,

The maiden phoenix,

Her ashes new-create another heir,

As great in admiration as herself…

                Shakespeare  

 Tameless, and swift, and proud…

                Shelley

 

 They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings as eagles…

                Isaiah

 

 But the race remains immortal,

The star of their house is constant…

                Virgil

 

 Everyone suddenly burst out singing

And I was filled with such delight

As prisioned birds must find in freedom

Winging wildly across the while

Orchards and dark green fields;

on; on; and out of sight.

Everyone’s voice was suddenly lifted

And the beauty came like the setting sun.

My heart was shaken with tears;

And horror drifted away…

O but everyone was a bird;

And the song was wordless;

The singing will never be done…

                Jeanne Couden

 

 In Nature there are neither rewards nor

Punishments – there are consequences…

                Ingersoll

 

 We must be free or die…

                Wordsworth

 

 The benediction of these covering heavens

Falls on their heads like dew…

                Shakespeare

Now pois’d and balanc’d in mid-space,

At resting from his airy chase.

                Isaac McLellan  

     Excerpt from “Ruffed Grouse-Partridge,” 1904

 High soars a patriarchal oak,

Its umbrage scath’d by lightning-stroke,

Upon whose topmost bough doth dwell

An eagle, monarch of the dell

                Isaac McLellan