cold birds

On the slick pavement they huddle
With puffed up feathers shielding shivering skins
Seeking shelter beneath an ashy coffee table
Pressed tightly, waiting for the storm's end

And then the rain softens.
Their feathers unfluff, bodies unhuddle
Each foot finding its own crack in the gravel,
They hop along on separate paths
No longer needing the warmth
Of a fellow cold bird.