Tiny Waves

Leigh started to notice a pigeon hanging out on her balcony. But not just any old pigeon, this disheveled thing with its beady little black eyes looks like it got hit by a truck.

Now Leigh knows she has a nice view being up on the 10th floor but wonders what the Pigeon’s true intentions are since there are plenty of other better viewing options, like any of the other balconies above her or even the rooftop. From all the way up there, you can see the entire lake Ontario. With just her view, you can only see a sliver of the water wedged between two other apartment buildings. Maybe that prime rooftop real estate has already been spoken for? She imagines a fat ruthless king pigeon sitting on its throne chair made of human hair (from the tenants in the building). As punishment, if you don’t pay your monthly rent on time, management under the rule of the King will string you up naked in the lobby, covered in white pigeon shit.  

Leigh ended up googling more about pigeons. She figured if this one on her balcony was here to stay, she might as well start to get to know it a little bit better. After all, having seen her leaping around her apartment in the nude, it had definitely gotten to know her a little bit better. After having been married for 13 years and recently divorced, Leigh moved into the apartment without any intentions of owning any curtains. She wanted the world to see the new her and not the repressed housewife who was always told what to do by her extremely controlling husband. She was surprised to read that a pigeon’s life span is only six years in the wild.  

She decided to give it a name, a neutral one given she had no idea of its gender. So she named it Mac, since after all, it had the appearance of looking like it had been hit by a truck. She thought it would be cute to put out a little feeder on the balcony with its name on it but she ultimately decided against it. She didn’t want to attract a crowd. Only one pigeon was allowed to witness her early morning interpretive dance routine, she didn’t want to scare the entire lot.

Every morning Mac is there to greet Leigh as they both appreciate and admire the little view they have. It’s the first thing they do before they start their day. Then Leigh will watch Mac fly off and like an outdoor cat come back whenever - there’s no fixed schedule besides their shared morning time. Maybe it goes and hangs out on other balconies to gossip with friends? Maybe it has a tree to nest in with a lover? Or maybe it freely flies solo above the great lake. No kingdom or rooftop to claim. Just watching all the tiny waves come in one by one, making their sparkling splash, before getting called back by the moon.