Oh, the feathers

Resplendent it flies,

The elephant clasped tight,

Its hide pierced by the talons,

Lunch for the chicks,

Upon the cliffs,

Chirping loudly ,

As it tears , morsels,

Here the trunk,

There the hind leg,

And the hatchlings fight,

Pulling viciously,

For the choicest cuts.

The bird doesn’t wait long,

It’s off to catch the next meal,

Perhaps a bull walrus, or a rhino,

The gust of wind,

Nearly blew me off of my rock,

But now it’s gone,

I can take a chance.

I climb a bit higher,

Peeking over the ledge,

The younglings are fighting still,

I see my prize,

A tail feather, but it’s very close.

I tiptoe closer,

The nest is made of logs,

Covered lovingly with heather, and grass,

I hold the thing,

It’s light and colorful,

Worth a fortune,

But one of the chicks notices me.

But i was prepared.

I throw a hook and fish it over,

The babe screams violently,

Mommy’s fallen feathers,

Are not mine to take.

But it doesn’t yet dare to climb down,

And risk falling off the edge,

So i pull on the line and this time,

The hook catches,

The feather is a small one,

Just twice as long as me,

But weighs only an ounce.

It’s so beautiful,

Puts a Phoenix to shame,

I stare, mesmerized by the colors,

But as the other chick starts to roar,

I know i must retreat.

I tie the rope to the feather,

And round my waist,

I jump, bearly escaping the sharp beaks,

The mother though has heard the cry .

She’s coming back carrying a polar bear,

It is still fighting,

Trying to pry the talons apart.

The chicks forget about me,

And shred the ursine.

I am hanging low beneath the ledge,

The feather dangles beneath me,

I start the climb down,

The chicks are roaring again,

Calmoring for more.

Climb down, don’t think.

Find footing, grab and jump,

Hold the cracks.

Suddenly, a wind blows,

And my feather catches it,

Like a great sail it tugs at my rope.

I resist as much as i can,

But my feather is pulling me off,

I'm going to fall.

I have no choice,

Pull out the knife,

Cut the rope.

The feather, is released ,

Set free,

It flies upward on the wind,

As if returning to the nest.

I make my way down,

Failed.

But who could bring a Ruk's feather?

What was i thinking?