Little
Swallow’s Question
There
once was a bird who was trapped in a cage
She
had been living there from a young age
She
saw other birds fly about and have fun
Doing
all kinds of things that she’d never done
They
dove and they soared and they flipped and they flew
Their
freedom was the greatest thing that she knew
One
day a kind stranger meandered by
When
he saw her imprisoned he then wondered why
“Such
a lovely bird,” he thought, “never should be
In
such a cage like the one that I see.”
So
he opened her cage and cared not a thing
What
a wrath from her owners her freedom might bring
But
instead of flying around to amaze
She
sat there inside with inquisitive gaze
What
should she do now? She didn’t know
So,
on she continued enjoying the show
Of
the other birds flying and diving about
She
wished to be with them, she had no doubt
Perplexed
and quite sad, her “freer” looked on
Wondering
what on earth could be wrong
“Perhaps,”
he thought, “that is where she was born
And
fear of new things is why she’s forlorn.”
So
he gently reached down and scooped her all up
She
was tiny and would fit inside his teacup
She
was petrified and her small heart beat fast
Could
she really enjoy freedom at last?
“I
know not how to fly,” she realized sadly.
“If
I fall it will hurt ever so badly.”
That
day she had to choose whether or not
If
freedom was better than being caught
From
her cage she had longed, day in and day out
To
be able to fly and soar all about
But
with no chance to be free she never did see
How
gloriously dangerous flying could be
Then
out of her rescuer’s hands she jumped
And
landed upon his left knee with a bump
She
wished she could ask him what she should do
Or
if he knew all the worry he’d put her through
He
questioned gently and gave her a wink
“How
hard is flying, do you really think?”
She
nestled closer into his arms
Knowing
he truly meant her no harm
He
lifted her up and ran all around
With
the wind in her ears she cherished the sound
Then
all of a sudden her freer stopped short
And
she showed indignation of a fluttering sort
In
frustration she flapped her wings in a fury
Hoping
he’d start up again in a hurry
But
before she knew what was going on
She
was up in the air, away she had gone
The
mixture she felt of terror and thrill
Made
her want to keep honing her newly-found skill
Her
freer grinned to himself as he thought
“Freedom’s
far better than being caught!
I
hope she’ll fly on to see many things
And
that freedom will give strength to her wings.”
As
he turned to go, she came back to his side
She
nudged his large shoe and he smiled with pride
He
knew she was thankful for helping her see
How
gloriously dangerous flying could be
And
that her fear never should gain
A
single vict’ry or powerful reign
“Go
on, live your life, my beautiful thing
And
never forget to be true to your wings.
Go
on and soar, fly to amaze
Never
forget your maker to praise!
He
made you to be free, and to cherish each day
And
to make the world more lovely in your own little way!”
She
chirped in agreement, and flew to new heights
She
never forgot him, in day or in night
Her
good and kind freer who taught her to see
How
gloriously dangerous flying could be
Dedicated to Aaron and Rachel
(Began June 5, 2013, completed much, much, much, much later)
