Caged

"But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams. His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream. His wings are clipped and his feet are tied, so he opens his throat to sing." ~ Maya Angelou

Caged


Squawking diatribe,
flapping with ferocity against
metal bars.
Fragile feathers floating down,
like white clouds descending slowly,
and settling in a dense mist.
The hinged door suddenly opens,
Seeing beyond,
but frozen in icy fear.
The silence
of wings, of voice,
of will.
Hearing the song of freedom,
but safety's song is louder still.

Reviews

[Clockwork]

It is interesting what being within a cage will do to the heart. In some ways, it yearns for complete liberation. On the other, captivity has a certain degree of safety and normalcy. Those chains are hard to cast off for something new.

I liked your Angelou quote at the start of the piece. I think it framed the poem very nicely.

I like your description of the moment the door is opened. I felt as if I was there in that moment. It was a very jarring sensation for the door to be open. Then there was the juxtaposed inner turmoil between the instinct to fly and the urge to revert to safety.

[Ed Fagan]

Two song lyrics come to mind "Slave screams, he thinks he knows what he wants" and "In a world full of people there's only some who want to fly, isn't that crazy"

Is it the fear of the unknown or the safety and security of the cage? I would know, I flew far too many time to notice either. Great write. i hope that we could be friends here.

[B-poet]

Interesting adaptation as it relates to birds as well as human beings. Most people would rather live within their comfort zone like a cage bird than to be free and uninhibited like a bird that hasn't been caged at all. Great work. I admire your penmanship. :)

[DrD]

As someone who "walked away from it all" and moved to a quiet Mexican village, your words held special meanings. Freedom never comes easily and it is wrong to consider it a right. It comes earned and gained with courage. Too many step back from what could be and your poem captured that message extremely well.

[Dream Weaver]

Cleverly done, is not a human in a cage a swan song for
all to hear? Does not the light penetrate the bars that
make for an attractive escape and yet a sense of fear of
what or whom is on the other side?

[manchilld99]

So, the caged bird is no longer singing; it is only "squawking diatribe" that we hear now. An you are right; for the caged bird that 'we' know about the sound of safety(complacency) IS louder than freedom's song has proven to be. I only wish you had meantioned the numbing effect of the whole experience, where being caged becomes its own self-fulfilling prophecy.

Heap big, strong medicine. But like all strong medicine, bitter to the taste.

[Ahmad Cox]

Wow. Amazing and beautifully powerful. I love the metaphors. All souls want so be free.

[David Scott]

I fear this poor creature will stay in the cage. I wonder if he "feathers" will ever grow back. This is one of the saddest poems I have read. It does not beg for sympathy or cry out in pain or even give a sad face. Still, you have shown the situation plain and clear for the epathetic mind to cry a tear in utter silence.
I tip my hat dear friend.
Be well.

[Pax Analog]

Starkly clear rendering of a classic duality: presumed freedom, presumed safety.

Intuition of an underlying seamless Nondual Ground reveals something else: there is no freedom, there is no safety or security finally in any regard but Consciousness Itself -- because the forms of our separate self senses always die. This is a steep subtle consideration to grasp, I know. Along the way, radical humor, fiery Eros, empathic Love bring this singularity home.

The very song of the Divine is free & adamantinely secure. Thanks for the poignant poem & the catalyst to response.