mud pigeon

There was a time at Dufferin station when the black
lines that ridged that mud pigeon’s wings reminded me of wound
stripes on a war uniform, and because I saw it everyday
stippled with flicked cigarette
burns, I started to feel

for the dirt thing, think of it sometimes
in the dimmed light of long subway rides, its eyes
red as a fresh bullet’s entrance . . . 

Published in TOK: Writing the New Toronto, Book 5. Purchase the book to read the full piece.

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Toronto locations referenced in this piece

“There was a time at Dufferin station when the black lines that ridged that mud pigeon’s wings reminded me of wound stripes on a war uniform, and because I saw it everyday stippled with flicked cigarette burns, I started to feel for the dirt thing . . . ” Dufferin Subway Station