J Hahn Doleman

Contra Coo

This time I built a better birdhouse—more floor space and a wider front perch—but the mourning dove it was meant for still turned up her beak. Instead, she selected her materials from the dowry of twigs, straw, and yellow pine needles fetched by her ever-devoted mate, arranging them in the potted string of pearls hanging from a macrame censer above our backyard deck. The completed nest a testament to her independence.

another breakup— 
she buckles our begonia
into the front seat

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About the Author

J Hahn Doleman is a speech pathologist living and working in San Francisco. He serves as a contest coordinator for Haiku Poets of Northern California.