Clementine

I was peeling a clementine

from one of those wooden crates

and waiting for the train

sitting next to a stranger in a hood

it was early and cold

a great time to eat a clementine

and I was chuffed

the birds began to hop circle and close in on my feet

they were small enough

that a hundred couldn’t bend a telephone line

apparently, there’s a heated debate

about whether or not birds can smell

the great ornithologist Kenn Kaufman once said

“how do you know whether the bird is actually smelling something?

you can't say, 'raise your right wing if you smell this.'”

I did know that those birds

were definitely watching me

but they were also being watched

by the woman sitting next to me

her chin settled on her palm

and her elbow on her knee

they’re kinda feisty

I remember how white her teeth were

and that she had a nice smile

and how it felt

like I knew her for a moment