Live, Columbidae

Jessica Ahrens.


Quilted oil spills,

You must be lonely—

Domesticated devotion turned

Carries of memories,

Nothing more;

Nothing more

Concrete decor,

Scraps for urban worms

Plucked for conquest,

Left to leak

You—

A greased mess

Columbidae,

Colomba livia

Nothing more;

Nothing more

In your city valley home,

Does it feel like home?


Writer’s Notes:

Today, pigeons are akin to urban pests, but they used to be loved. They used to be something

more—domesticated companions. This poem explores the tragedy of the pigeon, who are now

often discarded as the oil spills that their iridescent feathered coats resemble. The title is the

broader family, Columbidae, as opposed to the genus, Colomba livia, to call out to the dove, who is cherished when the pigeon is not.