Eagle Dive Poem by Gert Strydom

One bright summer day
while walking in the veldt
I heard an eagle cry

where it swirled high
up in the sky, far beyond,
turning in a little speck
against the bottomless blue.

It drifted on secret winds
hanging, gliding
as if meant to be part of the sky.

Suddenly with great speed
it came down, came down
with paws and claws
stretched out to kill

and in dimensions it grew larger,
almost larger than life
just missing me,

grabbing the hare
that I did not notice
where it was hiding
a few paces away from me

and sometimes still
the beauty, the raw power, its flattening shadow
falls over me, in thoughts.