Stratospheres Poem by Nancy Ames

'Freedom is a legless bird who
flies high in shimmering shades
of blue on wings that flash and
flicker in sunlight, pursued by
relentless squadrons of angry
eagles, always much too slow,
stupid creatures of the hot, wet,
heavy thicknesses of air beneath
soaring, streamlined, legless
birds who nest on mountaintops
or the extreme edges of cliffs
or the cold white tips of towers
and teach their young to fall out
fearlessly and catch the wind on
shining wings, strong with pointed
beaks and eyes sharp to see all
the struggling shapes below all
the infinite light above me.'