There's An Old Midrashic Legend

Adler, Carol

^^^^ CMOlHJ ADUR there's an old Mid rash ic legend about the ownership of pigeons it is specifically a legalistic deliberation about a hypothetical pigeon who has for reasons known or unknown...

...CMOlHJ ADUR there's an old Mid rash ic legend about the ownership of pigeons it is specifically a legalistic deliberation about a hypothetical pigeon who has for reasons known or unknown chosen to wander off beyond its master so that out of sight at first it is thought to be lost or having flown to another territory and having nested there brings to bear the question of \ uti possidetus (referring to pigeons and not to and fm to pigeons captured but to^Lise who of their own free will havFchoscn to strike out on their own) these pigeons raised not for killing history tells us but for the ancient sport of racing one bird set against another and like horses or chariots albeit in miniature sent scampering around a pigeon-sized track 4hl witness the pilgrim»H rabbi&and rebbitzi^H jrffchanls peddlers J ^nole villages <S pouring through the streets everyone decked out in his best and hours before lor blocks near the arena not a space to be bought - ¦ ' -sflP witness the suspense all eyes glued fcprjjhe carefully groomed line-up BpTtensed^^ for the sound of the horn followed h> the grraTclucking and cooing ^Each pigeon takes off can a pigeon be instilled with the spirit of winning and if he fails yet feigning victory how would it read on the writ of habeas corpus the legend states that the pigeon still belongs to his master if at the end of his flight his master's land remains in sight prodigal peacebird Biblical Shileyach would the choice be yours after all you learned in your intuition discerning by some other means the point of no return what Land is this you now demand and would you give up your past for a place where there is neither master nor race where there is nothing but infinity and nothing but space athlete of the ghetto are you as easily duped as your ^ definition or is it we who are blind in the"sand nesting iti ttauese: i arc thousands of disputed pigeons Carol Adler is the author of a book of poetry...
...Arioso, published by Pentagram Press...

Vol. 4 • July 1979 • No. 7


 
Developed by
Kanda Sofware
  Kanda Software, Inc.