The Mourning Dove
by Helen George

Of all the birds who swarm high above,
the little gray-brown mourning dove
makes the sweetest sound of them all -
everything stops when I hear the call,
my ears perk up as I wait to hear more
of this simple tune that I now listen for.

I'm enthralled when I hear the first note,
trilled sweetly on the air it seems to float,
a soft coo issues forth - calm and serene,
a long drawn-out woo-oo-ooo it does keen,
everything pauses, there's a hush all around,
and I'm mesmerized by this lovely sound.