I Prefer The Cage Poem by Sachidananda Panda

Once upon a time! It was all mine
As I roamed in the open sky
The sprawling oblivion and the cliffy edge
Now are records of some lost page;
To meet thy stale vanity; I prefer the cage

Am' the stuff for quizzical eyes
Fed to flutter on master's wish
Strains of flying long hours
To find a drop of fresh water
Sprinkling with mirth, on and around
Are met by my master's tiny bowels
Kept in my confine on time's scales

I have shunned my choice of food
It depends very much on my master's mood
Berries in the grooves the fragrant woods
The swing of little nest on the boughs dense
Amongst the tender bills a loving race
To claim the first slice from the glottal deck
Are all dreams behind the barbed fence
No wonder! My master controls when to mate
And I prefer the cage!

Am happy; as you are made to know
I can't cry, my master has denied so
I keep my woes dear and deep
In the depth of the night when all asleep
My eyes remain open sans a blink
My jungle, my nest, my family and my mate
Come crawling to bruise my breast
It's alright! If still you say! I prefer the cage

My master gave me all I needed the best
A barbed fence in lieu of the nest
Berries of the bush warmth of the woods
In a tiny bowl of mineral water, were thought
To satiate my thirst, and all my dreams
My wishes, my sky, My! My! My! Tender bills
My mate and my date, with Rivulets of springs

I smile as am made to show
None has ever tried or asked to know
The unspoken anguish of the clipped feathers
When Freedom is held hostage by imposed Choices
Propriety becomes a mute spectator to stay content
That, I prefer the cage

©Sachi-12th July-2020
All rights Reserved