Before there was rain Mrs Noah kept injured birds She kept ravens and robins eagles and eiders cockatoos and crows But her favorites were the doves They reminded her of her grandmother cooing over the newest grandchild or at night bending over to pray in her soft gray clothing
She kept the sickest birds in cages Some of the cages were the gold of the sun Some were the silver of the moon But most cages were the blue of the sky so that the birds would be comfortable and unafraid until it was time to fly free
