Issue 16
Wing
Cecelia Hitte
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In the Chill March Air
My breath preceded me in warm white puffs as I reached the top of the ridge.
I was startled to see an eagle circling the cabin in lazy, gliding loops,
the smoky ribbon drifting from the chimney the center of its eccentric
flight. Never had I seen an eagle fly so low before, so close that I could
count the flight feathers on each wing, shifting, spreading, responding to
the air currents and the bird's volition. The eagle veered away, out of
sight. A heartbeat later it was back, circling once again around the rising
coil of warmth, so close it's belly almost brushed against the topmost
tender buds of spring on the oak trees that surrounded the cabin.
Later I asked the park ranger why an eagle would circle the cabin that way.
"Probably searching for mice -- there's plenty out this time of year."
"I thought it was attracted to the escaping heat."
"It might be that too." A smile feathered out around his sky blue eyes.
~Cecelia Hitte
Cecelia Hitte is a graduate student in anthropology at Binghamton
University. She grew up on a farm in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. Email.
© 2004 by Cecelia Hitte. All Rights Reserved.
© Copyright 2004 by Cayuse Press. All Rights Reserved.