Pigeon Epiphanies

“At any given moment in the middle of a city there’s a million epiphanies occurring, in the blurring of the world beyond the curtain.”  Kate Tempest, Let Them Eat Chaos

I once saw a woman peering at the world
from behind a net curtain
in the middle of Venice
in the middle of thick fog.

I wondered if she was looking
at something particular,
for someone special,
for a way out.

In St Mark’s square, pigeons swooped,
tempted by food,
beckoned by sightseers,
landing on the lonely.

I wished for a pigeon to land
on that woman’s hand.

Kim M. Russell, 18th July 2019

Image result for woman in a window in Venice with a pigeon on her hand
Italian actress Virna Lisi feeding the pigeons in St. Mark’s Square, Venice, Italy, 1959 – image found on Pinterest (after I wrote the poem)

My response to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads: Poetry begins with a lump in the throat…

Toni is our host this Thursday with a humdinger of a prompt. She used a Robert Frost quote as her title, which is similar to something she does with her poetry. preceding a poem with a quote, writing the poem first and then searching for a suitable quote.

Today, she is doing the opposite by giving us a quote and asking us to write a poem from it, with a maximum of twenty four lines. lines at most – a poem that begins with a lump in the throat, or a belly laugh, or a tear spring-boarded from your quote. We can choose one of the quotes provided by Toni or choose one of our own. As soon as I saw Kate Tempest’s name, I had to choose that quote.

34 thoughts on “Pigeon Epiphanies”

  1. What a lovely thought, sending a pigeon to ease her loneliness. I lov the quote that inspired this, it tempted me, too, as behind every curtain the most amazing stories are taking place. I have always been curious about them.

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    1. Thank you, Sherry. The woman behind the net curtain on a foggy day is true, I saw her while we were watching the Venice carnival on our twenty-fifth anniversary last year. Everyone else seemed to have someone to enjoy the event with, but she was alone in the window, peeking out from behind the curtain.

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  2. What an ending line. This is such a good poem Kim. In more ways than one. I am always curious about what goes on behind closed curtains as well. I like that you noticed her in the midst of Carnival. Sometimes it is loneliest in the midst of partying and festivals. Again, thank you for writing to my prompt.

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  6. Much as I liked the shape of the poem — perfectly balanced — something didn’t quite connect between the leading image and the epiphany. Do lonely people need a helping hand from the world, or do they learn to get their needs met reaching out to others? Still the poem leaves us in a peaceful place, and I’m grateful for that.

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  7. As you observe her i wonder if anyone observes us and thinks on similar lines. Everyday I go to a cafe for a coffee and wonder if the staff wonder who and what I am…meanwhile I wonder about them!

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  10. Love this, Kim. Different people see different ways to act and feel concerning the pigeons, they would like to be left alone. I have pictures of our youngest granddaughter shooing them off the square. My impulse, hide my face.
    ..

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    1. Thanks Jim! I have wood pigeons that warble outside our bedroom window – I find the sound comforting. Pigeons have such a comical walk, too. 🙂

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    1. Thank you, Viv!
      I just got back from my daughter’s and am trying to catch up on reading and writing – but getting nowhere! I have serious back pain and don’t know if it’s from sleeping on a blow-up mattress or if it’s a kidney infection – and I have to collect the cats from the cattery. Although I have all day ahead of me, it’s disappearing fast. 🙂

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  15. I keep singing “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins. The woman looks through a net curtain, through a fog. Her vision is obscured but the writer sees her, sees her loneliness, and wishes her company. Even if it is for the birds.

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