Caged

Today evening as I sat in my window,
Watching the empty streets,
listening to the sound of silence;
I suddenly heard a merry voice-
“Hey there! Feeling caged?”
Startled, I turned to the voice and saw a parrot,
calling happily.
I sighed happily, “ Yes perhaps, it has changed a lot.
My fantasies have met dead ends,
my dreams of enjoyment have shattered,
and here I am, trapped in my own cage.”
The parrot smiled- it literally did- and said:
“When you humans cage us not in our
but in your strange homes,
We feel helpless, desperate and yet, we can do nothing..
A mere puppet of your hands,
unable to spread our wings,
unable to fly..
When freedom turns its back on us,
Life becomes a confinement.”
“Today, when I see you,” I said,
“Spreading your wings more freely than usual,
the setting sun cradling you in its arms,
the colourful evening sky, encouraging you to dance..
I am envious of you dear small bird,
Pray, tell me how can I be one of you?”
Laughing, the small bird said,
“It has indeed changed a lot,
you enjoyed your life now we are enjoying ours.
This time I see you from the other side of the cage,
You are trapped instead of me, and now for once,
you are feeling our pain..
But in these trying times, you should not lose heart,
Do not keep crying, make the best of the hour..
For after every stormy night, there is a bright sunny day,
For after every dark tunnel,
there is an opening coming your way..”
With this, the parrot took off,
I marveled his stunning flight,
His message struck a chord with me
And I resolved that I would follow it with all my might..
-Mugdha Deshpande