The lost feather

December 18, 2023

The first pigeon stopped.
He stared at the lost feather.
'Oh, my!' he said.
'Look!'

'It's a feather,' said the second pigeon.

'No, it's not,' said the first pigeon.

(Pause.)

'The owls would tell us to look past its physical form,' he said.
'See the significance of the thing.'

'It's a feather!' said the second pigeon.

'But don't you see?' asked the first pigeon.
'The owls would say: see what it says, lying there, all alone,
'about what we think is important!'

(Pause.)

'The owls would say: look at how it shows
'we think we can't do without a thing,
'only to find, when the thing's gone, that it didn't matter at all,
'and all our worrying was a terrible waste of time!
'I see it! I really do!'

'Oh, stop it,' said the second pigeon.