the bald eagle egg

I see on the news
a man
arrested for breaking open
the egg
of a bald eagle.

there are laws,
the cop says.
we need to protect our
wildlife.
our precious natural
resources.

but it was just an egg,
the man pleas,
it wasn't even born yet,
I wasn't killing
an eagle,
no, just an egg,

there's barely a heart
beating inside
that thin fragile
shell.

yes, the cop says, but
it's more of what
it could have been,
it's our national bird
for God's sake,

it's not like a real
baby.