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9 Aubade฀with฀Doves,฀a฀Television,฀and฀Fire The฀gunwales฀of฀a฀ship฀at฀sea฀are฀on฀fire and฀the฀fact฀that฀something฀in฀water฀blazes keeps฀us฀awake฀for฀hours.฀At฀the฀edge฀of฀the฀boat people฀jump฀over฀the฀railing,฀braving฀both the฀flames฀and฀water.฀Still, in฀the฀screen฀glare฀we฀catch the฀way฀we฀sleep฀in฀summer. No฀shoulder฀between฀us can฀say฀this฀deeply.฀The฀ship bleeds฀off฀the฀television’s฀edge like฀a฀thief.฀The฀captain฀is฀a฀handsome฀man who฀kept฀a฀dovecote฀next฀to฀the฀life฀rafts. It฀is฀a฀useless฀thing,฀the฀doves never฀leaving฀their฀cages.฀The฀clipped ridges฀of฀their฀wings฀is฀an฀affront—the฀birds pinwheel฀into฀the฀ocean,฀interfering with฀a฀helicopter฀blade’s฀hard฀whirl. The฀birthmark฀on฀your฀wrist reflects฀light฀from฀the฀cathode as฀birds฀saw฀the฀air.฀Dawn blurs฀the฀picture฀leaving฀ghosts. The฀birds฀burn฀horribly,฀but฀even฀more, the฀captain฀cries฀because฀the฀food฀in฀their฀cages boils,฀smelling฀of฀sweet฀corn฀in฀a฀June฀from฀his฀childhood. Our฀beautiful฀captain฀stands฀on฀the฀deck and฀you’re฀in฀love฀with฀him because฀of฀his฀burnished฀medallions฀and฀his฀grief. Despite฀the฀flaw฀in฀the฀television,฀the฀instinct฀to฀love is฀the฀exact฀memory฀of฀flight฀for฀mourning฀doves. 10 Dearest, we฀love฀similar฀failures:฀night’s฀lost฀composition, fire’s฀leaf-like฀clamor,฀new฀light’s฀stutter as฀pigeons฀ascend฀to฀our฀rooftop. ...

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