THE DOVE
High above the city rooftops, hidden in his room,
Leroy stared into the night, surrounded in his gloom.
A distant storm was calling out as rain began to fall,
He put the bottle to his lips, no more could he recall.
The times when he had everything, and life was all so clear,
A future with good prospects, and a loving woman near.
Those days now long forgotten as he walks this world alone.
For many years this empty life is all that he has known.
A kitchen full of empty bottles stacked behind the door,
A pocket full of change, and his tobacco on the floor.
Existing in this tower block, a monstrous display,
With most apartments empty, and the rest in disarray.
He stands upon his balcony and looks up at the sky,
The raindrops soft upon his face, as clouds begin to cry.
Such pleasure and such beauty brings a stirring from within,
To taste the heavens water as it falls against the skin.
Down below, the neon lights above the corner store,
Dazzle back their image, a reflection in the floor.
The sidewalk now deserted, always peaceful but yet strange,
A lonely pair of headlights waiting for the lights to change.
The noise of someone shouting breaks the silence in the air.
Another drunken argument from down below somewhere.
He makes his way inside the door, and slowly bolts it tight.
Another empty day has brought another lonely night.
Sitting in his chair he searches for another drink,
The only way to sleep these days, the only way to think.
Eventually like every night, he falls into a sleep,
Reliving times and moments that his memory does keep.
So sad to live within a dream, yet wake without a hope,
So sad to know no longer has he got the strength to cope.
And so he grunts and curses as he falls into this trance,
A drunken man, who lost it all, and has no second chance.
The thunder rolls into the night, then slowly fades away,
An ultra-violet splinter, as the sun brings on the day.
Leroy snores in rhythm as the light falls on his face,
The signs of stress beneath his eyes, that time could not erase.
He dreams of cars, and cruising bars, which woman should he take..?
Unknowing that its time to leave, in seconds he will wake.
A sound upon his window pane is constantly remitting,
It floats across the room up to the chair in which he's sitting.
A drowsy and complaining mood, he wonders what's the trouble.
He opens up his eyes to find them showing things in double.
He shakes his head and coughs, then from his chair begins to rise,
He looks straight at the window where he finds to his suprise,
A bird so white and beautiful, an angel from above,
For stood out on his balcony, there tapping, was a dove.
Such wonder in this urban mess, it must be heaven sent,
He could not find a reason as to what this tapping meant.
He crossed the room, undid the bolts and opened up the door,
Amazed to see the bird jump down and walk across his floor.
He turned to go back in the room, his feathered friend now leading,
Maybe it was just lost somehow, and only wanted feeding.
Somewhat stale and out of date, he found a loaf of bread,
Picking out a piece and tearing of a tiny shred.
He showed it to the bird, who took it cautiously and slow,
He placed the rest outside the door, enticing it to go.
For reasons he could not explain, this bird would not retreat,
It stayed with him around the home, in close behind his feet.
For many days it went like this, until it reached the stage,
When Leroy went out into town and bought his bird a cage.
He never could quite understand how all this came to be,
Yet here he was at home, a dove now perched upon his knee.
Time went by and bit by bit his love would slowly grow,
Once more he felt he was alive, just like so long ago.
His heart was always filled with joy, each morning that he'd wake,
No more the need for cigarettes, his drinking a mistake.
His loneliness had left him, as an Angel had come down,
A lifeline of such beauty in this god forsaken town.
He never gave his bird a name, as it would not seem right,
To take away what nature gave him on that stormy night.
As time approached the early spring, and winter had moved on,
The smell of freshness filled the air, the chilling wind had gone,
The sun would shine for most the time, the days grew to be long,
Whilst Leroy's life did blossom, he could seem to do no wrong.
Then late one day, around mid May, as he walked through the door,
Returning with some bird seed he had gotten from the store,
He saw something, which brought him to a truth he couldn't hide,
For looking through his window, was another bird outside.
It was a dove, so snowy white, just like the one he found,
Inside the room, the cage and stand had fallen to the ground.
Amongst a blur of feathers he could see his only friend,
He realized at once that he was looking at the end.
The end of what was wrong of him to keep his bird this way,
No longer did she need him now, no longer could she stay.
He knew the reasons for his love, but also found it wrong,
To keep her here against her will, no more did she belong.
As wild as nature did intend, it once again did seem,
That god had woken to her plight, and took away his dream.
He stood the cage back on its feet, then opened up the door,
He watched her as she slowly walked away along the floor.
The pair of them flew up onto the balcony then turned,
He glanced once more than looked away, a painful lesson learned.
Once more he faced a loss, as down his face the tears did cry,
The birds took of the balcony, and soared into the sky.
No more would they come back again, yet somehow he must cope,
For many days he'd gaze upon the window, lost in hope.
His world once more was empty, as again he had to face,
The loneliness, and isolation living in this place.
It wasn't soon before he started back on drinking beer,
It helped to heal the suffering, yet made so much unclear.
Then one night he decided that this war could not be won,
To live in pain and still remain, no more could he go on.
For every time he cared enough to open up his heart,
He always had to let it go, things always fell apart.
No more this need for wanting and for wishing, could he see,
A way from out this torment, and to prove what he can be.
He shall this night lay down with all his memories to keep,
He opens up a jar of pills that used to help him sleep.
He swallows them all one by one, then grabs his drink once more,
Drain's the contents from the glass, and throws it to the floor.
It wasn't long before his eyes grew heavy and did close,
Never to awaken from this exit that he chose.
It must have been for many weeks until his corpse was found,
A short and hurried ceremony laid him in the ground
Nobody knew much of his past, and no one seemed to care,
Another life has seen its last, another soul to bear.
As years move on, his body gone beneath an unmarked stone,
No longer does he suffer as he had living alone.
And every time that spring comes round, quite often you will see,
A dove so white and beautiful perched in a nearby tree.
Copyright:Alexander:November:1998.
Birth sign: Not entered
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