Last night I caught a dole of doves
robbing me of sleep with their yapping

They accused me of such terrible
things—an oppressor of birds,

a heart full of hate, a destroyer
of nests—that I grew angry and sad.

As I subdued them in my net,
I wondered if a bird has the right

to remain silent, if I can force it
to confess its crimes against me

and my kind. But I am a freedom-loving
man: I dictated what little I know of

the Constitution and soon the doves
fell quiet and still, like children awed

by 4th of July fireworks, explosions
reflecting their innocent faces.
Last edited: Today at 2:57 AM