feeding the birds​

Issue 5

I’ve never wanted to be anything other than myself
except for maybe being your person specifically,
but the appeal of being a house cat or some
other equally lounging, peaceful animal has never
exactly captured me in any great way.

That was until I saw her feeding birds
and then I thought perhaps I’d like to be a brown and gray
pigeon that lives on all the ledges of the city,
and frequents the power lines above the park bench
to gossip and catch up with all my fellow avian brothers.

She had brought her to-go container from Felini’s
and was feeding 30 birds crostinis with tomato
sauce which I don’t even particularly like
but she would smile and speak her word’s of encouragement
saying, “come on loves, crostini is best enjoyed with tomato
you’ll love the contrast in flavor.”

​Now I don’t know that much about what kind of lives
pigeons lead or if crostini really is best enjoyed with tomato sauce
but I would imagine it’s the sweetest kind
of life when someone like her comes to treat you to
an Italian meal at 2 o’clock on a Saturday afternoon

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COREY BRYAN is currently writing daily poetry prompts, along with some original poems, with a friend of his at poetryispretentious.com. He is published at the Bluebird Word and Papers Publishing and has 6 poems forthcoming at A Door is a Jar, Deep South Mag, and the Magpie Messenger.

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