In the new textbook, it read:
The males sing more loudly,
but the songs of the females are more complex
which made the girls in the class giggle
Infuriated, the teacher
slammed his hand on the desk
silencing everyone
and embarrassing the boys
then one boy in the back
began to laugh
deliberately, mockingly
and though the teacher bellowed so loud
his eyes nearly popped out of his face
more boys started laughing
and all the girls were grinning
and maybe
that is how
things change
(Image of a Box Pigeon flock in the Charleston district of Bremerton, WA. This “team” has been intact for over fifty generations; which is a whole lot of Box Pigeons)
Saragun Springs 
Patricia
This is a smart look at things. I’m certain the Birds have their options about us.
Wonderful little poem; I greatly enjoyed it.
Leila
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Leila
Cool photo!
In the context of today’s poem it also reminds of Tippi Hedren running down the street in high heels surrounded by screaming school children. (She’ll be 96 on Jan. 19.)
Dale
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Simply loved this. Whether read silently or aloud, you can hear that laughter, those giggles, that hand slammed on the desk. More to look out for from Ms Russo, I hope.
Geraint
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Hi Patricia
For me, in this poem, the ordinary becomes extra in a dramatic everyday moment so relatable it’s almost globally universal. The end of the poem asks more questions than it answers in the best of ways. I adore the use of idiomatic language here such as “bellowed so loud,” “popped out of his face,” “girls were grinning;” this, combined with the perfect line-lengths, makes this a poem that reads swiftly and stands up to many rereadings. The birds and their songs are dealt with in a completely unique way. Birds and their songs will be a subject of poetry as long as humans compose poetry (and by that I don’t even mean write poetry, just compose it).
Dale
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