High Level

 

There is a mourning dove visiting

Outside

Have I mentioned that,

He or she?

It pushes its tail feathers through the

Padding I pushed in from the other side

Next to the

Baffles of the air-conditioner

 

In the afternoon, the bird is gone

I push the padding

Back

 

In the morning, it returns

To push the foam strip through

With the tail again

I want to negotiate

The bird may stay, but I need

The air

It’s hotter than the season typically

Affords,

And I write on my side

For now, it’s only us

 

I’m not sure what it’s doing, she or he,

Building a nest maybe

Mourning doves

Aren’t good at that,

Though I’m impressed with the

Chartres-like, circular

Labyrinth design

Of round, broken sticks

Arranged, frankly, more like a coaster

For my mug of coffee than

An avian home

For old or new

 

We’ll work something out

If not, winter finally will

Drive

Us both away

 

C L Couch

 

photo by Terry Johnson

http://www.mymcr.net/our_community/monroe_county_georgia/monroe-outdoors—mourning-dove-still-top-u-s/article_00951622-6a1c-11e6-b4dd-6b2c02e45bd3.html

 

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