Captive Queen, Weary Wanderer That Shines Afar (6) Poem by Captain Cur

Caged bird, cruel hands have clipped thy outstretched wings
But no dissonance to these notes thou sings,
Once sung even the lips of death will smile
Forgetting all, as it scythes for endless miles,
And in thy realm a mindful happiness
Delivering the weakest and oppressed.
Gilded Queen, thou has become a lonely star
A weary wanderer that shines afar;
For what sins in this cell must thou atone
Those cold chains rattle upon thy very throne,
Evil takes refuge in this beloved light
And hawks feverish lies for its own delight,
Thy hands that the harp strings taught to play
Calloused by labor strum the chords of pain;
But, still a note may play that derives from simple pleasure
In chords of love my heart can hear but can never measure.