On warm days, when the fire’s unlit,
one or two pigeons often sit
on the roof and on a chimney pot,
where, of course, it’s no longer hot
and there’s no chance of being choked
by the ever-swirling smoke
of winter. In spring and summer,
when I’m busy in the kitchen, I hear
the pigeons’ self-contented coos dropping
down the chimney, gently plopping,
and I stop – smile as I wash the dishes up –
thankful that we have a chimney pot.
Kim M. Russell, 26th April 2019
My response to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Poems in April Day 26: Reboot, Rewind, Recycle, Rebirth
Karin has shared some of her artwork and asks us to write about moments of re-charging, rebooting, re-winding, re-birthing. She would like us to write generally and not about in-between seasons: moments such as a deep breath, a swallowed words, a spoken word, and they could be brief or very long, as long as we are with the moment or experience.
writing in north norfolk 
I like your kind thoughts about pigeons. Many people dislike them.
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I like pigeons – they’re friendly birds.
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I was a little surprised by the non-rhyme in the middle of the poem (unless I’ve missed something), but it didn’t trouble me. I went on enjoying those pigeons.
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Thank you! Did you mean the half-rhyme summer/hear?
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It’s meant to cause a brief pause for thought! 😊
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Hmmm, I did wonder what exactly is ‘plopping’ down the chimney – birds being birds. I guess you meant that interpretation, with the play on words of ‘pot’? Very enjoyable poem either way.
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🙂
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Deftly brought to us, pulled from a pause while wiping a dish. What more do we need?
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Thank you, Brendan!
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Ha. Very charming. A sweet rhyme. Thanks. k.
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I too like pigeons. We don’t see them much out here, mainly doves. I like the way their soft voices had an undertone to the chirping of birds.
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This is incredibly charming, Kim 😍 I love the image of one or two pigeons sitting on the chimney pot and smiled at the mention of their “self-contented coos,” .. love the pacing and brief pause for contemplation and thought as well! Gorgeously rendered. ❤️
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😊 ❤
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I, too, like pigeons; though it takes at least half a dozen of them to make a decent entrée.
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🤔
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Beautiful. Your smile at their self-contented coos, a moment there indeed
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Thanks Namy.
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Like it, Kim, lots. Chimney pot saved the day and your home from daring plunders and from themselves. Provided you come for them in due time. For our first chimney we bought a screen cap to cover the top. The next two houses had chimneyless fireplaces.
..
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Thanks Jim.
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I really like how you’ve taken the daily task of washing dishes and made it into a meditative moment. I like pigeons too- there are a flock feeding in my front yard as I write this. I even have a leucistic pigeon among them.
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Thanks Linda. I bet that leucistic pigeon is a pretty one.
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It is!
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It’s a wonderful moment in which you reflect on change – a time for pigeons, as I time for all things in their turn.
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Thank you, Kerry. Sometimes it’s the simple things that give us a moment to breathe.
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Season, their change can give us a moment to catch our breath. I love how you wrote about pigeons. There are a much maligned bird. Thank you for your kind comments on my poem. It is actually written about my physical rehabilitation in 2006.
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Thanks Susie. I love having pigeons in the garden. Sadly, in some areas in the UK, residents are not allowed to feed them. I feel sorry for the ones I see at Liverpool Street Station in London, that are missing feet and look starved. At least there’s plenty for them to eat in the countryside.
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