The Pigeons

The pigeons bob their heads and strut
And pause to do some pecking.
Their throaty conversations
Interfere not with their trekking.

A sudden startle sets them
With a flutter in the air.
Ten seconds later they alight,
Unbothered by the scare.

Their iridescent necks dig deep
Into their feathers, scratching,
Perhaps to loosen bugs which likely
Might have been attaching.

The sparrow and the grackles
Let the pigeons do their thing
And neither seem to notice
When the other group takes wing.

Although they’re nicknamed “rats with wings”
(An epithet quite mean),
The pigeons certainly belong
As part of New York’s scene.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2018

Poem

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Wolf Avatar
June 25, 2018 at 7:46 PM
---Not to mention Chicago's scene too! … The only unmentionable about those pigeons is that white goo which rhymes with p....! :) Gershon
Turner Avatar
June 22, 2018 at 1:40 AM
They sure taste good cooked on an open fire. lol Better keep them in Central Park, Ilene. They certainly are nasty! Loved your rhyme:)
Bauer Avatar
June 24, 2018 at 6:16 PM
yuck! i have seen them on menus but could never eat one. i have nothing against them, daniel, and have even grown to somewhat like them...
Pigeon Tart Avatar
June 21, 2018 at 8:40 PM
Pigeon fancier approves ;p love it Ilene! xomo
Bauer Avatar
June 24, 2018 at 6:15 PM
hey maureen! glad to find a fellow bird admirer. thanks for taking the time to write...
Nance Avatar
June 21, 2018 at 6:58 PM
Oh this is very good, they certainly are a part of the landscape.
Bauer Avatar
June 24, 2018 at 6:13 PM
good to hear from you, casarah! welcome back!
Rigoler Avatar
June 21, 2018 at 4:57 PM
I like pigeons too, Ilene, but not when en masse. The mess they leave makes strolling difficult. We have a small flock of them in my town, owned, I'm told, by an old Italian man. We also have red-tail hawks that scour the park at times and seek out a pigeon for a meal, even as they do a mallard duck. That's nature. Nice poem. / M
Bauer Avatar
June 24, 2018 at 6:13 PM
thanks, maurice! i agree with the en masse part - their droppings are pretty unpleasant. still, they're a big part of my surroundings so i've made my peace with them...
Cunningham Avatar
June 21, 2018 at 4:28 PM
Indeed they are ilene, they have as much right to be here as us. You do see them in most cities though. A couple have been coming into our garden of late. Tom.
Bauer Avatar
June 24, 2018 at 6:10 PM
wow, pigeons in your garden! that's a surprise! i always see them in cities and have occasionally seen them on a menu in foreign countries (don't know if they're the same kind we see walking on the streets). thanks for taking the time to comment...
Allison Avatar
June 21, 2018 at 3:46 PM
fabulous imagery Ilene. I loved particularly loved the iridescent necks ... how descriptive but you did make me itch with the bugs lol:-) hugs Jan xx
Bauer Avatar
June 24, 2018 at 6:08 PM
hey jan! i don't know if that's why they peck themselves, but that makes sense to me. sorry if it skeeved you out a bit! thanks for the comment - i always love to hear from you...
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