The Pigeon

Disclaimer - I have little to no idea about the rules of poetry, and I don't think I've ever tried to write a poem (except in high school English class), so I'm not sure if the following can officially be classified as a poem or not. It's based on a true event that I recalled tonight as I sat on my rooftop patio watching the birds fly around as the sun set. The idea of this poem came to mind as I watched them and the idea was still there later tonight, so I decided to give it a go. So here we go :)

The Pigeon

A pigeon came
To my window one day
It flapped and fluttered
Hovered
Trying to get in
To the world where I was
When it realized it could not enter
It settled
Instead
On the windowsill
Looking in
On me
I left my tasks undone
And joined the pigeon
At the window
Separated by a pane
We each stood there, in our own worlds
Experiencing another
Our eyes met
We lingered
Each forgetting ourselves for a moment
Curiously tilting our heads at this connection
Then the realities of my world beckoned
I turned
Stepped away
To return to the task at hand
And he remained
Intent eyes watching me
For awhile

But the human world and the bird world can only briefly collide
His world is one of rooftops and treetops
Wings and freedom
My world is apartment buildings and packing lunches
Offices and computers
And I would be no happier in a treetop with him
Than he would be in a cage with me

So, soon
The moment was gone
After a last glance
He jumped
Took flight
I paused
Smiled
At this unexpected chance
To commune with another