Thirteen doves gather here each winter;
tawny sounds nicer than brown,
don't you think?
And as they're consistent in their number
I'm thinking:
Why we're so fearful,
so suspicious
and weird?
Zeus was the thirteenth,
the power house of gods,
royal-protector,
just,
and wise.
Abraham's thirteen heart-to-hearts with God;
thirteen prostrations
in Jerusalem's shrine.
Hindus cheer for the thirteenth day
bringing children,
prosperity,
contentment,
and joy.
The Pokanoket Nation
counts the turtle's back,
knowledge of the thirteen moons
in their lunar year.
And Jesus,
heading up his mixed bag of twelve,
"You," he says, "see and hear!
"I'll teach you to love
along your own Galilee way."
