The Eagle Poem by David Welch

There is an eagle flying
above a pure blue lake,
white head with a brown body,
and long feathers, proud and straight.
On its feet are long talons,
finest yellow you can find,
they'll strike like a rattlesnake
if you give him a hard time.
Many critters look at him,
from the ground and from the trees,
they marvel at the eagle
and how it always flies free.

The eagle has its purpose,
and it has its normal prey,
most animals are all right
if they stay out of its way.
But rats and snakes despise it,
as they scurry in the dirt,
fear the eagle may come down
as they go about their work.
They burrow deep underground
to escapes its slashing feet,
and curse that there's an eagle
who's forever flying free.

Some predators don't like him,
as they're out hunting the weak,
since the eagle will hunt them,
diving down with a large screech.
They can't prey on everyone
when the eagles fly up there,
have to fear for their own lives,
stick to shadows, move with care.
As long as there's an eagle
there are places they can't be,
they hate that something that strong
is allowed to just fly free.

Some small birds hate the eagle,
and annoy him when he flies,
you see them in small numbers,
making short, half-hearted dives.
Though they're much like the eagle,
they're still fearful of his strength,
the eagle just rolls his eyes,
has no need to target them.
Wonders why they don't get it,
they are high up but don't see
that you always need eagles
high above and flying free.

Sometimes even the eaglets
will look at these other birds,
and want to be just like them,
with the eagle finds absurd.
Why would one embrace weakness
in a world that preys on it?
The small birds all get eaten,
snakes and rats will do their bit.
They're young and lack perspective,
eagle-eyed but they can't see
that they were born true eaglets,
that they're destined to fly free.

Without the eagle up there
things will quickly go berserk,
if your take out an apex
ecosystems do not work.
Too many rats and snakes crawl,
fox and coyote run amok,
killing all that they can get,
you will not find hare or duck.
Until that lake and its shores
become barren and empty,
you need that eagle up there,
and you need him to fly free.