It was early morning

Low clouds blocked the sunrise

A slight chill in the air

Biscayne bay was calm

Too early for late sleeping Miami boaters

A mourning dove flew onto my balcony

He hopped onto the dining table

Cooing a proud message

A symbol of peace, hope resilience and love

I felt a strange connection to him

I needed to let him know I understood his message

To thank him for bringing calm to all the chaos around us right now

I stepped closer to the window and smiled at him

He saw me and stood still for a brief moment

We bonded over a few milliseconds of eye contact

Then he took off in a flash

Swooping over the balcony couch

Pooping all over the cushions

With the military precision of a fighter jet releasing laser guided missiles

Peace was short lived

Back to chaos