Near the two-lane’s center stripe, I saw him;
His lifelong mate, lifeless, lay nearby.
Staid stood he, at my coming;
Her recently-stilled breast faced the sky.
Still, save for feathers slightly ruffled;
By the breeze, enveloping a sigh.
His grim mourning filled the spirit realm;
Deeply felt, while carefully, I crept by.
His eyes, a window to bereavement;
Her color, mottled gray, except the chest,
Added cream, perhaps would best describe.
All with dismal loss, will sometime wrest.
The enemy comes not, but for killing;
Delighting if his appearing takes the best.
Late return, I found her mate still standing,
The evening would bring his heart no rest.
Dove photo by Tina Nord, https://www.pexels.com
Dove Update 5/14/2021
Went to town and back 24 hours later than yesterday.
Both going and coming home again, there was a lone dove
standing in the same location on the center line of the road.
Can I swear it is the same one? No. I saw others on the trip.
No others on that exact spot, though. The female is gone,
due to some scavenger, I suspect. There are many of those.
Missionary Sojourn 
Jon,
What a bittersweet sight and how awful to see her mate still there in the evening, “in grim mourning”! You don’t often expect that sight in nature, something we can so deeply empathize with. And the last line is heartbreaking as well as poetic. Your words capture the scene in all its tragic imagery. “The enemy comes not, but for killing;” How true!
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Thank you Dora, for sharing the moment with me, as we continue in Jesus to stand against that enemy, however we may.
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Amen. ~🕊
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💔
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I feel broken-hearted too.
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The world has a lot of sad stories to go with the ones of triumph. I am reminded of the scripture that tells us that not even the sparrow falls without his Creator’s notice. Your adventure had a happy ending! Thank you for sharing it.
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I many like your beautiful blog. A pleasure to come stroll on your pages. A great discovery and a very interesting blog. I will come back to visit you. Do not hesitate to visit my universe. A soon.
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So many sad moments such as this plague our beleaguered planet–and then there are many more that are much worse. Praise God for his sovereign plan that will one day eradicate all grief and death! Praise Jesus our Waymaker, who will one day release us from all suffering! Our enemy WILL BE defeated! (Wonderful post, Jon!)
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