Untitled (Caged Bird)
By MS
Caged bird…Caged bird,
Why do you STILL sing?
Seemingly… Wings clipped,
Does that make the melody that you sing all the more sweeter?
Loneliness as your constant companion,
Do you sing your want… Your dreams of the winds updrafts, the Sun, the Sky, and the Clouds at your back, with your Heart beating strongly…
Does your overtures remember the rhyme of being free?
Soaring on Forgotten Wings,
Wings clipped…. seemingly,
Perched in a Gilded Cage,
I ask….
Caged bird…..Caged bird…..
Why do you STILL sing?
(Is the tune that you sing for me….
or is it the one that I have always heard deep within me?)
Note: I had the great MAYA ANGELOU in mind when I wrote this.
19 Comments
Leave a Comment
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.
I really enjoyed reading this poem. It is filled with so much emotion and it tells a story deeper than the words written. To me it tells a story of continuing on even when you’re stuck in place and not letting your current circumstances stand in the way of your dreams and aspirations. I thought it was beautifully written. I wish you all the best!
I think the great Maya Angelou would be flattered to hear that you had her in mind when you wrote this and also gratified to know that you can be inspired by poetry. May you be blessed as you go forward in life — hopefully with many opportunities to share your inspiration.
This piece is very emotionally charged and I LOVE the allusion you used with the caged bird in reference to Maya Angelou’s work. You made excellent use of the visuals associated with being free, contrasted with the suffocating feeling of being trapped. The hopeful tone at the end was a very pleasant surprise, and I loved seeing the meaning associated with the song that the bird sings being flipped over.
The word ‘still’ in your poem really resonated with me. I think the fact that despite the bird being in a difficult place, it still manages to sing is a powerful phrase. Oftentimes, people give up when faced with hardships. However, the bird managed to continue singing despite its pain. I also really loved the strength the bird has throughout the poem. Despite its clipped wings and caged body, the bird manages to soar high and sing a beautiful melody.
I’d say the caged bird still sings because it knows that freedom is inevitable no matter how far away it seems. I love your use of metaphors here, and while I may not have read any of Maya Angelou’s stuff, I can still appreciate the poem I have in front of me.
I like the usage of ellipses as well as the all-capitalized words; it really adds to that inquisitive tone felt throughout the poem. The words within the parenthesis also show how the subject of the poem has come to a conclusion or realization, demonstrating their character development.
MS,
Your poem is very thought provoking. The idea that loneliness and adversity enhances one’s artistic ability is fascinating, and how one’s desire for freedom can be expressed through song. Additionally, the pacing felt very natural, and was very well written.
Put a bird in a cage. It doesn’t change what the bird inherently is. Put us in a cage. It doesn’t change who we inherently are. Birds still sing as caged birds and are no different than non-caged birds. Birds still yearn for freedom, all want to love and to be loved, all want joy and friendships and everything good in life, all have emotions, all have memories, all have a soul, and all have a life and want a life.
This is a beautiful poem! Continue to foster your creativity. I truly enjoyed reading your art.
Your poignant words echo the spirit of Maya Angelou, capturing the essence of resilience and the indomitable will to sing despite the constraints of life. The metaphor of the caged bird, a powerful symbol of freedom and aspiration, speaks volumes. Your verses beautifully explore the paradox of a bird with clipped wings, yet a song that rings with sweet melodies. The introspective questioning, whether the tune is external or an echo from within, adds depth and contemplation. Your writing is a heartfelt homage to Maya Angelou’s legacy, embodying her spirit of strength and determination. Well done.
Imagery was used wonderfully in this piece. The descriptive words are wonderful and really paints a picture in my mind of what the writer is trying to get across. Maybe the reference they are trying to get across is that they are in a cage wanting to be set free from all around them.
Hi MS,
What a great poem! It is a great analogy about freedom in all forms. I imagine in your case it speaks louder to how you are feeling where you are. And I hope dearly that the bird’s song represents the hope you are holding onto and the memories that keep your spirit uplifted.
It is a wild concept when you relate it to the average person’s life where we are “caged” by what society deems acceptable. For instance the person who works their life away and barely has time for things that bring joy because we are conditioned to think that is normal. We all sit here knowing that the enjoyment of life is continually sinking because we work it away, then sleep in our free time to try and escape for a bit, from a reality that is heavy to carry. Heck, you could go as far as saying we are caged by social standards for how we should act and look as well. There are thousands of people who feel this pressure to conform and not be themselves, it’s a cage in a totally different form. So when we all sing out, it’s a great question; are we singing for the things we want or need to be happy? Or are we singing for what we lost when we decided to become conforming members of society?
Thank you for sharing. This one really had me thinking!
I love the spin on a true classic! I really enjoy how the poem was changed into your own perspective, and I especially liked how it was changed into, “caged bird… caged bird, why do you STILL sing?” Rewriting a classic to show that time has passed, but it still applies today. Continuing with the same theme as the original and adding more elements, modernizing the poem but keeping the message made for a great poem. I really enjoyed reading this, keep going!
I appreciate your adaptation of Maya’s poem. You have taken poetry that resonates and made it even more personal. The punctuation gives me pause to the important message you are trying to share. Feeling trapped and physically being trapped (and experiencing both) I imagine conjures a great loneliness that is personally unimaginable. Using a bird as a symbol which regularly represents freedom and by figuratively taking away its only means of true freedom makes for impactful imagery. Thank you for sharing your struggle.
This poem is written in a way where you can feel every single thing the author is trying to say. The author is truly talented and I really hope to get more of their work. This poem is so relatable in a way that you wouldn’t realize at first. The author makes it really easy to relate to the pool as well. It’s beautifully written and is told in a way that you just understand what they’re trying to say. This person is a great writer and this poem is really inspirational.
This poem beautifully captures the indomitable spirit of these caged birds, revealing their capacity to find joy and resilience in the most challenging of circumstances. It serves as a powerful reminder that even in captivity, the song of the soul can soar, echoing the timeless human longing for freedom and self-expression
I love this poem and its message about the experience of incarceration. Keep your head up!
This is a lovely poem! I loved the comparison of the bird and freedom. It was so interesting to think about why a caged bird would still sing. Since a caged bird can’t live its life how a bird is supposed to live, you would certainly think he would not want to sing. This made me think about making the best of bad situations. Although the bird cannot fly wherever he pleases, he still sings. This is such a great metaphor for hardships we may encounter.
I could tell you had Maya in mind while you wrote this. She would be DELIGHTED and HONORED to read it. Well done!