An Eagle

I was seated quietly,
my feet resting a ledge below
but my knees still high
against my chest
My lengthy arms across them
burning mildly in the sun
Just observing contentedly
and trying to absorb
the beauty presented
by that unique vantage
Two feet ahead of me,
a drop of seventy feet,
and I thought for a moment
of what might happen
if the earth gave way suddenly
as a result of moving plates,
before being distracted
by the elegant control
and effortless adjustment
of the eagle before me
It started off high
The tips of its wings
quaking gently across the sky
before spiraling down
to within mere inches
of the perilous treetops
I flinched once,
expecting it to plunge
too far and collide
but with the slightest shift
a draft cast it upward
with a power and grace
only a raptor could afford
And then, in that single frame,
its shadow passed over me,
cradling my body in shade
and I'd never felt so small
as in that second