Condor Over Highway 25
Highway 25, south of Bitterwater,
Parallel to the Gabilan
And Diablo Ranges,
The “Airline Highway,”
In southern San Benito County.
A remote location of grasslands,
Rocky scrub, dotted with oak trees.
In the sky, what looked to be
A B-52 bomber, winging low overhead.
Or a prehistoric Pterodactyl,
Lazily gliding back and forth
Spiraling in wide circles
Over Lone Oak Road.
Instead, a rarely seen species,
With a 10-foot wingspan.
A monster winged-creature
Surviving the last Ice-age
And the Pleistocene era.
Alive and living in steep slopes
And inaccessible cliffs.
Its shadow dragged over dry grass,
Just sailed above the road.
Black wings with white patches,
Soaring, and ascending
With controlled motionless wings.
A yellow-orange bald head,
Cocks a red-brown eye
Looking down for the enemy
With keen eyes of a scavenger.
Long traverses in wide spirals
Gliding gradually downward
On a mass of air that rises
Faster than a bird can descend.
One last departure over grasslands
Stretched out below,
And over a distant ridge.
Author: Stephen Barile
Photo: Paulo Robles on Unsplash
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