An eagle egg fell into a farmer’s chicken shed
and when it hatched the farmer gave it chicken feed
even though he was the king of birds. The farmer
clipped the eaglet’s princely beak and raised him
as a chicken. When he grew large, wildlife control
called on the farm. “It has the heart of an eagle,”
said the public servant. “It will fly.” And the farmer
asked, “What if he likes it here with all the chickens?”
As they spoke, the birds crept off to don disguises.
Soon they couldn’t tell the eagle from the hens
so they carried the strongest-looking bird to the
farmhouse balcony and said, “You’re a regal eagle
not a lowly chicken. Go find your place in the sun!”
And they tossed one bird into the air together every
night until they fell in love, the farmer and the guy
from wildlife control, and got so hungry that they
ate roast eagle under a chicken-dotted sky.
In this poem, an unlikely guest in the form of an eagle finds itself in a farmer’s hen house, resulting in an unexpected ending.
- What does the symbol of an eagle bring to mind?
- How would you describe the speaker of this poem?
- Would you consider this a love poem; if so, between who?
- What do you think it means to have the “heart of an eagle”?
- If you were to recite this poem aloud, how might pacing affect your telling?
Writing Activity
How would you imagine this poem unfolding pass its ending? After the farmer and “the guy” fall in love, carry on with the image of an eagle and write a few more stanzas to convey what you think happens.
Useful Links
- Birds and Neutrino Observatories, A Review of After the Hatching Oven: https://canlit.ca/article/birds-and-neutrino-observatories/
- 12 or 20 (second series) questions with David Alexander: https://robmclennan.blogspot.com/2018/06/12-or-20-second-series-questions-with_17.html
“Parable of the Eagle” by David Alexander from After the Hatching Oven, Nightwood Editions, 2018, www.nightwoodeditions.com