1.
we can not afford the movies.
cockatoos are learning to talk
confined and ignorant and mildly vicious
“do not put fingers in cage”
do they dream of rainforests
or just industrial ontario stripmalls.
“hello, hello,” mom and i return for years
“hello, hello,” they eventually
return.
2.
i took it for granted that every journey
begins with a prayer
we are not religious.
sometimes we sit on the shoulder of the highway
with the hood thrown up and white smoke
Billowing.
3. we have a new car and the pet store
has gone out of business.
where are those cockatoos, now?
and what things do they speak of?
we are watching a movie
and thinking of birds in the concrete
jungle who can
speak.