Just a Caged Bird
I am a little caged bird, you see:
I look and I see tiny silver bars crisscross my view;
I’m never seeing the world in full,
Never,
Only bars and squares of thin silver-coloured rods.
Outside, the wind blows fresh and strong;
But it never blows my way, never once!
If only I could be let out once
Just so I can flap my wings;
Just so to get a stretch,
Just to be sure I can still fly.
Years have I been here;
Possibly my wings can't fly.
Maybe my bones are filled out now,
Maybe I have become too heavy -
Maybe, I’m not even worth being let out.
I flap them once in a while
Just to check them out,
But that's nearly not enough:
It doesn't really test my feathers out.
I see the other birds soar and glide,
I see them flap and jump,
They toss and yaw,
And swirl and hover;
But me, poor me,
I can only watch them in their glee,
And I say:
If only I could be let out once!
Here, they give me food and water;
That's generous of my keepers,
But corn and rice are hardly my favourites.
If only I could sip from the stream
And beak into remains of fruit and greens;
If only I was made to search worms:
Those treats,
And even pieces of bread thrown about;
But I’m always here - alone.
I had friends, too - even lovers!
I grew where many a ripe cock courted me;
I was the toast of our nest
And all about it,
But since I've been here I'm sure they're all taken.
I shall never have fertile eggs,
Never make a nest,
Never raise chicks,
And will die alone here in this ‘mesh-meshy’ prison.
I am just a caged bird, you see!
Copyright © Mv Adjin | Year Posted 2017
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