Don’t Pity the Pigeon

Poetry

Don’t Pity the Pigeon

Katie Frances Hartless

ekphrasis, humor, nature, urban

Don’t pity the pigeon,

nor his herd mentality.

He’s surfing the city;

an ordinary creature

thriving in the scum,

bee-boppin’ wires,

no longer used for telephones,

eroding city stones,

cooing with love for his territory.

See, the pigeon’s got morals:

monogamy, strong parenting,

but with little care for spread of disease.

These war veterans got priorities.

They keep their minds

and bodies clean,

and when the rains come in

to wash them,

they rock and lean,

just rock and lean.

7 responses to “Don’t Pity the Pigeon”

ben Alexander

Katie, I love how you turn the pigeon into this cool, streetwise survivor — “surfing the city” feels like the perfect vibe for them.

May I ask what inspired this poem?

Much love,
David

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Katie Frances Hartless

Dear David,

Lovely to find your comment here. My daughter actually inspired this one. On our walk home, she said, “Why don’t you write a poem about the pigeons. I really pity them. And I replied, “Don’t pity the pigeon.”

But, I think events happening back home always sort of creep in. There’s some satire embedded here, so I hope it’s not buried too deep to be dug out.

I’m so grateful for this dialogue, David. 💜 Thank you, dear friend.

Katie

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Nicole Smith

My neighbor races pigeons. It is a crazy thing, I have pet and held more pigeons than most people do.

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1. Katie Frances Hartless
  
  What’s this? Pigeon races?!? I’ve never heard of such a thing, but I’m intrigued. My mother used to tell me, don’t pet the pigeons, they’re filthy. But I always saw them as sort of regal. Their purple and green plumage. Thanks for connecting f with my poem, Nicole .
  
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Katie Frances Hartless

Thank you, Tiff. 💜I hope to keep getting sparks from my daughter. She has such a u IQAir way of seeing the world.

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johnlmalone

a wonderfully unexpected paean to pigeons 🙂

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Sadje

This is so lovely

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