Jail Bird

By AB

A bird once flew over a prison and sat on the bars of a window sill
The prisoner fed the bird crackers and the bird ate to his fill
The prisoner put water in a top for the bird to wet his beak
The prisoner done a good deed before he went to sleep

The bird didn’t leave–
He became a jail bird that didn’t know he was free

10 Comments

  1. Clark on March 24, 2019 at 5:46 AM

    Beautiful poem

  2. Glenda Charles on March 31, 2019 at 8:44 AM

    Dear AB. Your poem truly inspire me. It remind me of the story in the Bible that Jesus spoke and been in prison and no came to visit. But God has place in your heart to feed the bird, and by you doing a good deed, the bird became a part of the process. I encourage you to trust the God with all your heart and lean not unto your own understand, and he will direct your parts. Proverbs 3:1 – 6. Be encouraged. ? Glenda.

  3. Maggie Piazza Carroll on April 10, 2019 at 10:10 AM

    Chills! Just learned about this Free Minds Book Club. The writing is great. Thank you, AB.

  4. Patrick on February 19, 2020 at 7:07 PM

    AB, this poem is amazing and really speaks volumes. So often do we take freedom for granted and it’s always important to remeber that we need to treasure it. Thank you for sharing such an incredible and power story.
    -Pat

  5. Xenia de Luna on April 3, 2020 at 4:31 AM

    This poem is so beautiful and different and I think you can interpret it many different ways.
    This bird represents freedom- it can fly wherever and do whatever, but decided to stay with the prisoner. Because he sees the good in the prisoner and wishes to take him with him one day.
    This story and the message behind are so amazing and I’m sure there are great things ahead of you, such an incredible and poetic artist!

  6. Kayelynn on April 15, 2020 at 10:30 AM

    AB,

    Such an impactful and profound poem! You touch on something that a lot of others don’t think about, how sometimes incarcerated people forget that deep down they’re still free human beings. They can still grow and learn, even though they’ve been trapped in a confined space. Amazing language and flow as well, please keep writing!

  7. Clifford on November 20, 2020 at 5:43 PM

    AB this poem gave me chills

  8. Martina on March 1, 2021 at 3:41 PM

    Wow AB,
    I did not expect the ending of this poem, what a well thought out and beautiful message. In such a brief poem I felt so much. You have a beautiful ability to capture the heart and mind of your readers. You have such wonderful imagery! Continue to share this beautiful gift with the world.
    Best,
    M

  9. Katie on May 3, 2021 at 4:04 PM

    AB,
    I think your piece speaks on so many levels here. I feel as if we could all be the bird in our lives. We take our modern lives for granted and our food and water keep us tied to an area but we truly forget that we are free to do as we please and live our lives as we want. While those who are incarcerated may not share the same freedoms, they do have the knowledge that when they get out they will truly be freer than those who were never locked up to begin with. You wrote an amazing poem here that spoke to me and I’m absolutely sure it spoke to so many others. I encourage you to continue writing to explore and express yourself even more.

  10. Marisa on March 24, 2023 at 2:27 PM

    Wow. This poem left me speechless about how incredible it is. It shows how easy it is to take things for granted when better opportunities are present. Your creativity and words portrayed such a deep meaning about how freedom is taken advantage of. I cannot say how much I loved this piece and I hope you create more like this.

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The poets featured here are currently incarcerated, and many of them are in federal prisons far from home. Your feedback is a valuable source of motivation and connection to the outside community. Post your comments, feedback, and encouragement in the space below the poem. Messages will be passed on directly to the author. Comments may not appear immediately on the site, as our team processes them to mail to the poets.