Jim Greene — 1985 In The Time of The Many Pigeons

When Jim returns to Greene, he does not carry totems with him, only curiosity. He walks unseeing though the historic square, heading directly to the research room at the library. He pulls out a book on pigeons and begins to read.

“Passenger Pigeons:

“In the 1700’s, Indians competed with pigeons for food, controlling their numbers. When entire Indian populations vanished, the pigeon population soared. In the early 1800’s, at least one in every four birds in North America was a passenger pigeon.”

As Jim reads, the white pages turn a bluish-grey. Flocks of birds cloud the paper sky. They cut through the air with the speed and grace of blue meteors. They sing to each other in sweet, clear voices.

“European settlement led to mass deforestation,” Jim reads, “and the population plummeted. Pigeon meat was commercialized as food for slaves and the poor.”