2026 NaPM 5 April

[Truerenigma]

we were sitting on the balcony
watching the Blackwater River
and having a quiet conversation
when we heard a splash, a dock or two away
and a dog barking urgently

fearing a child had fallen in
from a neighbor's dock
we scrambled to the railing, craning our necks
to look over and see a bald eagle
with a large fish in its talons
performing a fly-by along the shoreline
behind our house

I don't remember our conversation
or which way the eagle went when it left
at a lazy pace
unfazed by the dogs
and its prey trailing half behind
in an easy grip