Okay, this isn't really about just actual doves, or actual political metaphors. It's actually about both!
I've lived in Carlsbad, New Mexico for 13 years now, and Artesia for two years before that.
I almost never leave. That sucks.
Since I am a person who avoids a lot of noise, and likes living around trees, and spends a huge amount of time alone; I notice birds.
One thing I have noticed over the last eight years or so is that mourning doves are just about gone around here. I grew up around them to some extent. "Coo-OoHH, ooh, ooh, ooh." pretty reliable.
We had those here in town in Carlsbad here when I came here. We do not now.
At the same time, I read some years back about these Texas doves getting all synanthropic (means they do well as parasites on humans, or at some times commensals, more or less) and invading all over the place here in New Mexico.
I've lived alone for five years now. I've spent virtually of my time alone for the last three.
Every morning I hear the doves. The doves changed.
I think we have a few other species of doves here. There is the "Coo coo, caroo!" kind of dove. I think. Well, they are definitely here. I listen to them all the time. They are all over the place here. I have been working on interpreting them.
And I've seen Inca doves.
But the mourning doves are gone, it seems; and now we have what I expect are these Texas doves, these whitewings.
I lie in bed for hours at times, when I'm depressed and anxious and need to get back to the REM sleep to work all that shit out so I can get up and function and do stuff like help my neighbor kill plants.
I listen to the doves, in and out of my dream state. The ones I think are the whitewings, the Texas doves, the invaders...what they are saying to me, I decided, is either:
"Shut up, you fool."
Or else:
"Shut up the schools."
The mourning doves, on the other hand, I think were pretty much saying; "Ooh, fools, fools, fools."
All things considered, I prefer the mourning doves.
I need to get Julie Waters in on this. Paging Julie!
(Note: I wanted to entitle this diary "Shut Up, You Fool!" but I figured it would have just ran to not quite the crowd I was looking for. Love to you all, dudes! (and dudettes, you are all dudes and loves to me!)