The Dovekeepers

by Alice Hoffman

We watched the doves fly. Let loose at this hour so they might stretch their wings, they turned the entire sky white. They rose and disappeared, then returned again, drawn back to their nests. They were devoted to their mates. Therefore, couples were never allowed to fly together; the loyalty of one brought it back to its partner time and time again, despite the lure of freedom.

Envy is envy, both for the wind and for men on earth. The better the place, the more others covet what you have. Be a pauper, a wanderer, a secret in the darkness of night. Once you possess something others do not, you are a target for the wicked.

There were times when those around you can see your fate but you yourself are blind, stumbling toward a coil of mistakes.

some secrets bring you closer in their sharing, just as others break you apart.

People say that when you have lost something and it returns to you, it is doubly sweet,