a white dove was sitting on my pillow

soft on soft

white on pearly white

a cooing purring preening thing

she looked me in the eye

her eye was beady sharp

judgemental dark.

A small red fox was crouching

at the foot of my bed

he grinned at me

his hot coat burning in the dark.

I liked him better than I liked the dove.

The dove said “don’t do it

be good be good

like a little girl should.”

the fox growled softly

“if you want it, take it

I would I would.”

And I lay between them like a

stone figure on top of a tomb

with the dove at my head

the fox at my feet

and then I fell asleep.

And when I woke the dove was gone

and the fox was gone

but the room was full of feathers

and eiderdown.