by Pavel Chichikov
Who has kept captive birds has known
The restlessness of migratory animals
The nervous fitfulness of locked up beasts
When light and season, time of day set on
Their senses, known and secret from us
Photo-quickened, signed, hormonal
So that at dusk, perhaps at dawn
They beat their wings against their cages
And press themselves against the bars
Long to launch themselves against the wind
As they have done for geologic ages
From such deep wells this craving drawn
So does now an agitation spread
Among the dying and the newly dead
To rise and take the thermals of the soul
For God has given all of them parole
From death, entombment, fire and the deep
To lift, approach – let not the living weep
Click here to follow Pavel's ongoing epic poem “The Shoulder of the Sun.” You may also visit Pavel's website at Grey Owl Press.
