A conversation/ An exercise

On a weary road the traveller lay
And breathed in air that called his sweat
The wind howled across his face
As he closed his eyes for a dreary rest

The songbird sat on his shoulders, still
And whispered tunes of a bygone strife
"Dear bird," he said still deep in sleep
"That path was trodden in a different life"

"An earnest man and an eager soul,
Brought down by the burden he thought he owned"
"He hummed this tune as he walked that road,
And fought with all he had and more."

The songbird sat on his shoulder, still,
And chirped the way it always did.
"Dear bird," he said still deep in sleep,
"Dear bird, will you ever be freed?"

On a weary road the traveller walked
A familiar air on his tread
The wind blew harsh across his face
As he sought the horizon of his path ahead.