I had tried to fight,
Like a fiendish bird
Caught in a cage.
I beat my wings,
Jumped to the bars and
Sang a dreadful song.
But a bird can never
Break out of its cage
Wrought with iron bars,
No more than I could
Break out of my fate
Written by iron hands.
And so I lie down,
Mind and body
Utterly exhausted
And the hot fire
Burning within me,
Smothered.
My eyes glaze over,
And I float aimlessly
In a pool of darkness.
I ache with grief
As it presses in on me
And I feel cold all over.
I crave to be free,
To fly
And escape
To some paradise
To Arcady
Author ~ Sai Srujan Reddy
Editor ~ Prisha