42. Pigeon. V. Mist Forms. Sandburg, Carl. 1920. Smoke and Steel

Carl Sandburg (1878–1967). Smoke and Steel. 1922.

V. Mist Forms

42. Pigeon

THE FLUTTER of blue pigeon’s wings
Under a river bridge
Hunting a clean dry arch,
A corner for a sleep—
This flutters here in a woman’s hand.	5

A singing sleep cry,
A drunken poignant two lines of song,
Somebody looking clean into yesterday
And remembering, or looking clean into
To-morrow, and reading,—	10
This sings here as a woman’s sleep cry sings.

Pigeon friend of mine,
Fly on, sing on.