Carl Sandburg

Pigeon

Pigeon - meaning Summary

Tender Urban Compassion

Sandburg’s short lyric links a city pigeon’s restless flight and song to a woman’s intimate sleep-cry, folding public urban life into private emotion. The bird’s flutter and brief, poignant phrases echo memory and anticipation, suggesting gentleness amid movement and everyday noise. The speaker addresses the pigeon directly, offering companionship and encouragement as the creature — and by extension the human moment — continues onward and keeps singing.

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THE FLUTTER of blue pigeon's wings Under a river bridge Hunting a clean dry arch, A corner for a sleep- This flutters here in a woman's hand. A singing sleep cry, A drunken poignant two lines of song, Somebody looking clean into yesterday And remembering, or looking clean into To-morrow, and reading,- This sings here as a woman's sleep cry sings. Pigeon friend of mine, Fly on, sing on.

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