.

Mourning Doves

Hear the soft coo—a coo that faithful love imparts;
Mourning doves, they share as one, two beating hearts.

On summer’s eaves of pine, they build their lofty nests;
Tender eggs are tucked beneath warm nurturing breasts.

Oval-shaped, snowy white, hatched alive,
Fledglings find their downy wings—learn to survive.

Speckled gray and black, they gracefully take flight.
Unfurled tails fan out, reveal a fringe of white.

Halcyon days of summer, coming to an end;
Heading for the border, they quietly ascend.

.

.

Paulette Calasibetta is a retired interior designer. Her poetry has appeared on line and in print in numerous journals and anthologies.

NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets.

The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.

 

***Read Our Comments Policy Here***

 

16 Responses

    • Paulette Calasibetta

      Thank you Roy. I have a special affection for Doves; watching them each day is truly a gift of peace.

      Reply
  2. Scharlie Meeuws

    I love doves! They are just as you portray them, Paulette, gentle, sweet, loving. I have a couple nesting in our cherry tree, each year they build faithfully their nest and attend equally to their fledglings….a great example of how our world should be….
    ”doves they share as one….two beating hearts”….

    Reply
    • Paulette Calasibetta

      Yes, doves are so delightful, so calming and so
      reliable. I await them every morning and in the evening too. I love to hear their them sweetly coo – coo.
      Thanks for stopping by to comment.

      Reply
  3. Paul A. Freeman

    So much expressed in the apparent simplicity of your couplets, Paulette. A pleasure to read.

    Reply
    • Paulette Calasibetta

      Thank you Paul. I am new to writing in the classical form, enjoying the beauty of meter and rhyme like a lyrical ballet.

      Reply
  4. fred schueler

    here’s a driving-down-the-road Mourning Dove ditty:

    Oh for Zenaida macroura
    Processing roadsides for seeds,
    barfing up a milk-like substance:
    everything a nestling needs.

    Reply
    • Paulette Calasibetta

      Fred, LOL….an interesting sequel.
      Thanks for stopping by to comment.

      Reply
  5. Shamik Banerjee

    A beautiful beautiful poem, Paulette! The imagery and the tender language of this piece are very delectable! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Paulette Calasibetta

      Shamik, I am new to writing classical poetry; your comments are a boast to my future as a classical poet.
      Thank you for stopping by.

      Reply
  6. Theresa Werba

    Paulette, I love the line “Tender eggs are tucked beneath warm nurturing breasts”– it it interesting because when I think of “warm nurturing breasts” I think of a mother nursing her baby– I do very much like the image of a bird’s breast being nurturing in a different way than the breast of a human mother. Thanks for sharing your lovely poem!!

    Reply
    • Paulette Calasibetta

      Hi Theresa, thank you for your thoughtful comments. I have a family of doves in my garden; watching them in their habitat, I related to them as a protective mother would…hence “warm nurturing breasts”. Glad you found the beauty in this.
      Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  7. Margaret Coats

    Understand your affection for doves, Paulette. I’ve been able to watch this variety at most places where I’ve lived, and now there is a pair feeding regularly in our front yard. “Summer’s eaves of pine” is a fine descriptive phrase for nest location. The poem is well done for a fledgling in metrical verse!

    Reply
    • Paulette Calasibetta

      Margaret, Thank you for your uplifting comments… being a ‘fledgling’ I intend to continue spreading my ‘classical wings’ .

      Reply
  8. Morrison Handley-Schachler

    This is really beautiful, Paulette. I love the way that you capture the fragile promise of the fledgling doves.

    Reply
    • Paulette Calasibetta

      Morrison, doves nest at our home every spring; watching them cuddle and coo each morning, fostering their eggs ….so inspirational.
      Thanks for stopping by to comment.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.