Dove and Eagle

"What would you like to be, an eagle or a dove?" Babur asked with a smile.

"A dove, a Shirazi pigeon, as my father Azizuddin Khan wanted me to be," I replied.

"Pigeons are more powerful than eagles. They can fly faster, they have more endurance, greater stamina. Their vision is as strong as that of an eagle, but they can never be the kings and masters," Babur said, as if he were weighing my options. "Eagles are hunters and pigeons are romantic lovers. What would you like to be, my dear Shiraz?"

"I am not a killer; I cannot be an eagle. I am a romantic lover like you and would prefer to be a pigeon."

Babur's laughter shattered the silence of the full moon night. "You consider me a pigeon and not an eagle, a romantic lover and not a ruthless conquerer and empire-builder. Have you not read your history, my dear boy?"

"I have read your heart; it is that of a dove, not an eagle."

- The Golden Pigeon by Shahid Siddiqui