Welcome, poets! I am your host, Frank J. Tassone, and today, we write haibun, that blend of prose-poetry and haiku. Let’s spread our wings and soar, as we explore that most majestic of raptors, the eagle!

They ride the thermals on outstretched wings, ascending to astonishing heights at astounding speeds. Their keen eyes spot their smallest pray from miles high. Their outstretched talons deliver a merciful killing blow as they fall upon their intended. Eagles!

That diurnal, apex bird of prey! That “symbol of European mischief” Ben Franklin complained about, the standard of Ancient Rome’s all-conquering Legions. That one that became the National Bird of the United States. The eagle!

The one for whom Scouts of America named its highest, and most prestigious, rank. The very rank my own son, Frank, earns this coming month! Eagle!

Need some more avian inspiration?

Eagle Poem

Joy Harjo – 1951-

To pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you.
And know there is more
That you can’t see, can’t hear,
Can’t know except in moments
Steadily growing, and in languages
That aren’t always sound but other
Circles of motion.
Like eagle that Sunday morning
Over Salt River. Circled in blue sky
In wind, swept our hearts clean
With sacred wings.
We see you, see ourselves and know
That we must take the utmost care
And kindness in all things.
Breathe in, knowing we are made of
All this, and breathe, knowing
We are truly blessed because we
Were born, and die soon within a
True circle of motion, 
Like eagle rounding out the morning
Inside us. 
We pray that it will be done
In beauty.
In beauty.

(From In Mad Love and War © 1990 by Joy Harjo. Reprinted by permission of Wesleyan University Press. )

The Eagle

Alfred Lord Tennyson – 1809-1892

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

(This poem is in the public domain.)

Let’s write our haibun that references the Eagle, in whatever context I’ve mentioned, or that you conceive. For those new to haibun, the form consists of one to a few paragraphs of prose—usually written in the present tense—that evoke an experience and are often non-fictional/autobiographical. They may be preceded or followed by one or more haiku—nature-based, using a seasonal image—that complement without directly repeating what the prose stated.

New to dVerse? Here’s what you do:

• Write a haibun that alludes to eagle.
• Post it on your personal site/blog
• Include a link back to dVerse in your post.
• Copy your link onto the Mr. Linky
• Remember to click the small checkbox about data protection.
• Read and comment on some of your fellow poets’ work.
• Like and leave a comment below if you choose to do so.
• Have fun!