April Poetry: Alula

In recognition of Poetry Month, and to celebrate our treasure trove of Orcas Island poets, Orcas Issues is pleased and honored to offer daily poetry during April.

ALULA
by Jill McCabe Johnson

To ease his landing
…..the eagle extends
……….the elbow and carpal joints,
…..spreads his phalanges
and thrusts open his alula
…..like a thumb on the wing
……….as he drops against the captured air.

All summer we watched two mated eagles
…..circle atop thermal columns
……….as they hunted field mice, rabbits and voles.

…..A fall wind storm loosened their aerie
……….perched in a crag
…..across the valley. Our neighbor
found the nest where it had landed
…..upright in a bed of salal.

……….Curious to see remnants of the roost,
…..maybe feathers or confetti of eaglet shells,
……….he found instead the stripped bones of the eagles’ prey,
along with collars, still in place.
…..Metal charms listed Fluffy, Buddy, Rollo
……….and dozens of other pets
……………we’d seen on flyers all over town.

After the shock of it,
…..we made the easy comparisons,
……….marveling at the anatomy of wings,
…..their agile similarity to human hands,
……….and how, though we lack alulas,
we know full well
…..the callous dexterity of hunger
……….and opposable thumbs.

…..The truth we cannot admit,
though we turn away from jokes about poor Cupcake, poor Muffin,
……….is that we would give anything,
…..maybe even these thumbs
carrying cardboard caskets, shovels and gloves,
……….to be able to ease our loss down gently,
……………wings aloft,
…..buffered by the calming air.