Last Views of a Mourning Dove, and: Peace in the Bones, and: Festival de la Lluvia de Peces

Last Views of a Mourning Dove

In March when a flowerpot tips overon the lanai and scatters ash,and crows, for no apparent reason,

attack a mourning doveby the red bougainvillea bleedingin unison or empathy

I run outside to fend off the crowsby waving my arms and clapping loudlyonly to see a neighbor’s gray housecat

streak by to nip the dove on the neck,finish it off. I feel like weeping,yet nothing occurs. No flowing

of the eye in response to the lowtremulous call. Dear God, howcan one find beauty or solace

in this world? As doves, why loveour enemies, the crows? How do welive among cats? As crows, what

is our responsibility to doves, if any?It is so hard to lovethe dark beak puncturing a bird—

the long shadow outspread,longer than any mourning dovealive, dragging.

Perhaps it is knowing Godweeps with us even whenwe no longer weep for ourselves.

Peace in the Bones

The word an in my Chinese    name is peace.The blind woman saysat last you’ve reached the age

when you enjoy peace.Your bones will not grow any longerso you are at peace.

Your hair will not grow any darker    and you are at peace.

Your eyesight will grow dimmerwhen you look at these lines.Moss coats a stone on the northwestside only, and you are at peace.

You feel an urge to dance    to loosen your jointsloosening despite the years,

at peace.

Festival de la Lluvia de Peces

Every year in May to Julya swollen cloud floatsover the mountain range

releasing la lluvia de peces.For hours, black rain poursinto the fish gulleys of Yoro.

Perhaps it is God rainingfish-manna to answerthe prayers of a holy person

over a hundred years ago.Perhaps an underground riveris flooded by the rain

so fish surface in the meadow.What else could be a sourceof silver-bellied fish leaping

into a boat on the waves?Perhaps wind carries the fishfrom the sea to a hundred miles

inland. How do the fish survivethe altitudinal forces of wind?How do we explain the freshwater

not saltwater species of fish?How do we explain blindnessof the fish not indigenous

to any waters close to Yoro?Whatever the method, say residents,la lluvia de peces occurs annually

so we host a fish festival. It isa miracle of divine grace.We gather all the fish we can

and cook them right awaybecause they never live longafter falling out of the sky.