Author's Note
River Shy...this one is for you
.
Tale Of The Caged Bird
There once was a bird locked in a cage
Alone and vulnerable regardless of her age
With grace and beauty like that of a mage
And small enough to fit in any size of page
Timidity and shyness made up her form
With feathers and wings able to hold off a storm
In spite of her meekness she was incredibly sweet
Able to melt hearts with just a single tweet
With cute little eyes smaller than beads
Sharper than even the stingers of bees
As beautiful as she was, her life was not easy
Hard in a way to leave one quite queasy
With a dysfunctional family that was anything but nice
With eyes of cruelty and hearts of ice
Willing to cut her with just a single slice
She was tossed around for others to roll
All for something she could not control
On and on she was tormented and belittled
By those who believed they were entitled
They bashed her, insulted her, called her names
Getting others to join in on their sick games
She thrashed, she struggled, cried and pleaded
Reaching out for help that she desperately needed
But not a single soul came to her aid
And not a single ounce of attention was paid
They just watched as she was thrown carelessly around
Be it tossed into the air or stomped into the ground
Her tweets for mercy fell on deaf ears
And those that heard her shed no tears
They laughed at her misery, relishing in her pain
For it was something all of them could obtain
With no fear of consequences or retaliation
And no desire to see her get any gratification
And so, she was left, alone and cold
Her suffering increasing with each cruel word told
Growing inside of her like bread having mold
Or a rock containing an obscene amount of gold
Then a shining light cracked though the dark
Even though it was no smaller than a spark
Bright enough to make a dog cease its bark
And gain the attention of an entire theme park
Making absolute sure that it left its mark
It reached out and took the caged bird in its embrace
Pulling her out of the darkness with such controlled grace
Making the tiny heart inside of her race
As if she was inside of the fragments of space
This ball of light then took the caged bird in
Smoothing her feathers and cleaning her skin
Treating her as if she were her own kin
All the while bearing an affectionate grin
She fixed the caged bird’s body and mended her broken mind
Not out of cruelty but because she was kind
Helping her out of what had her in a bind
With an incredible resolve that nothing could grind
Through the graces of time they learned about each other
Curious about what there was to know about one another
As if the shining light had suddenly become a mother
And the caged bird had just became her daughter
They went through happiness, sadness, joy and drama
The caged bird coming to see the light as her mama
Even if she no longer had a papa
That mama helped the caged bird grow
Into something that any pure soul can show
Into a light that was able to glow
And give anyone an unforgettable show
When the darkness enveloped her at her bleakest hour
And the caged bird was no longer standing at the highest tower
Feeling devoid of any and all power
She looked for that light at the end of the tunnel
Even if it was as small as a bundle
When it came, she grasped that light with all her might
Until it completely enveloped her sight
Making her smile wide and bright
And feel as if she was going higher than a kite
Then she wore it like a gleaming crown
And showed her abusers she won’t to be torn down
Nor would she be treated as if she was a clown
They tried resorting to their usual schemes
Ready to crush her resolve by any means
Alas, the caged bird was not who was she once was
And she made sure they knew it just because
Making their foolish minds go off in a buzz
She let her divine light shine in their eyes
Leaving them unable to resort to their lies
Or try to tear her down with family ties
Even though her resolve was countless times their size
She let them all know that she was done
No longer would she be the smoking gun
That she would instead shine as bright as the sun
And take back all her missed days of fun
She said she was going to spread her wings
The very same tools that they resorted to as things
And use them to fly far away
Regardless of what they tried to do to make her stay
That no matter what they tried to do
Regardless of any plan they resorted to
She would finally fly that day
For this was her way of making them pay
Then, she took off at the count of three
With enough force to destroy an entire tree
Higher and higher into the sky
Not even bothering to say goodbye
She soared as high and as fast as she could
Daring any to catch her that would
But they all stayed still where they were
At a loss for words from what they saw occur
They watched as she vanished into the sky's blueness
Its endless size matching how much they were clueless
Eventually she managed to find her flock
One that liked to fly around the clock
They welcomed her inside with open arms
With feathers and wings the size of farms
Ones the caged bird thought she would never see
Regardless of how she wished how true that wouldn't be
After some hesitation, she joined in the group
Feeling as warm as a bowl of hot soup
And she joined them all in their glorious light
Out of mind and out of sight
Vanishing into the light of the sun
Towards endless days and nights of fun
Her shining light watched her go
With a joy inside of her none would ever know
And an unbearable warmth that would continue to grow
Until it was well past ready to blow.
The shining light knew that she did her job well
A job that she knew her young chick would tell
And no matter how many times it was said,
Be it for the first, second time, or even the third
The shining light knew that her chick
Was no longer the caged bird
