x. Signs and Wonders - Pigeons

Pigeon:

noun: late 14c. (early 13c. as a surname), from Old French pigeon "young dove" (13c.), probably from Vulgar Latin *pibionem, dissimilation from Late Latin pipionem (nominative pipio) "squab, young chirping bird" (3c.), from pipire "to peep, chirp," of imitative origin. Meaning "one easily duped" is from 1590s. Replaced culver (Old English culufre, from Vulgar Latin *columbra, from Latin columbula) and native dove.

Noah Shooting Pigeons

Sharp scrabble of claws on grey gable

to a startled stutter of flight.

Ignites an agitation of dove-grey

a cracking cry like automatic rifle fire

while an old rector in rubber boots

and scarlet checkered shirt at chapel

fires an ancient single shot airgun

at a nuisance of nests in the eaves

and birds explode through the garden.

Beating air to the olive trees

the mottled measure of white breasted fear

three hours to evensong

flocking the way of raincloud

recalls the other worry of a leaking roof.

Jeff Guess

Reflection:

The Thirsty Pigeon by Aesop

A pigeon, oppressed by excessive thirst, saw a goblet of water painted on a signboard. Not supposing it to be only a picture, she flew towards it with a loud whir and unwittingly dashed against the signboard, jarring herself terribly. Having broken her wings by the blow, she fell to the ground, and was caught by one of the bystanders.

Moral: Zeal should not outrun discretion.

Reading: Genesis 8: 6-12

After 40 days, Noah opened the window of the ark that he had built and sent out a raven. It went back and forth as the flood water continued to evaporate throughout the earth. Later, he sent a dove out from the ark to see whether the water that covered the land’s surface had completely receded, but the dove could not yet find a place to rest,so it returned to Noah on the ark, since water still covered the land. Noah reached out his hand and took the dove back into the ark with him. Noah waited another seven days and sent the dove out from the ark again. The dove returned to him in the evening, but in its beak there was an olive leaf that it had plucked! So Noah knew that the flood waters had decreased on the land. He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but it did not return to him anymore.

Prayer:

On the wings of a snow-white dove He sends His pure sweet love A sign from above On the wings of a dove

When troubles surround us, when evils come The body grows weak The spirit grows numb When these things beset us, He doesn't forget us He sends down His love On the wings of a dove

On the wings of a snow-white dove He sends His pure sweet love A sign from above On the wings of a dove

When Noah had drifted on the flood many days He searched for land In various ways Troubles, he had some but wasn't forgotten He sent him His love On the wings of a dove