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The Dea Enigma
Dea is a Red-tailed Hawk ambassador for our Raptor Education Program. One of her handlers, an REP volunteer named Erin, wrote a poem about Dea. We’d like to share it with you!
Enigma, by definition, means “a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.” A paradox. A riddle. A mystery.
The Dea Enigma
5 years and childhood dreams.
I’m finally here, officially a trainee.
“I love you,” I tell her.
She bites me.
It’s not what I expected,
But I’d have it no other way.
This bird is in my life,
And she’s here to stay.
It’s a rotation of faces,
A thousand questions too –
The visitors all change,
But Dea is true.
Her presence may be steady
But her matter is not.
She’s as moody as the wind blows,
And as fussy as I am besot.
“Station,” I cue.
I’ve lost her attention.
“Station?” I plead.
She’s abandoned her ascension.
And so it’s quail and rat,
A cycle of training.
She gets her enrichment,
And I continue begging.
She’s a good bird,
She’s the best!
Handlers have their favorites,
And our scars can attest.
Some enjoy vultures
And some prefer others.
But when I hit the mews
It’s a red tail I garner.
When working with birds
Lay down all stigma.
For when you’re handling Dea,
You’re handling an enigma.
-Erin Sackett