I know why a caged bird sings
To get through the moments of pain
To drown out the ache of sorrow
I know why the caged bird smiles
Because it’s dreaming of a better day
While unaware all around it is crumbling
It’s cage is old and the latch is rusted shut
I know why the caged bird dances
To keep rhythm with the notes
To rock the cage unknowingly
To free the latch from its’ hold
I know why the caged bird is silent
The door is open
Something is waiting
A hand reaches out
Seed in the old palm
The bird goes for the bait
It coos an eats it all
I know why the caged bird is confused
it’s placed in a better cage
Fresh water and seed are plenty
A better view of the outside
But still no company
I know why the caged bird won’t escape
it can’t fly back to its’ home
A different country its’ wings can’t carry
And the local birds may not share their spoils
It’d be homeless and its’ belly empty
I know why the caged bird sings
To calm the loneliness
To soothe the sorrow
Hiding into it’s wings
Hoping for a better tomorrow
17 comments
My English teacher read us something just like that
Wow that’s amazing love it 🙂
The one by Maya Angelou. I always used the title to answer the same questions back when I was in high school. “I know why” then I’d choose how I was feeling and put it in like that. Plus I sing also so It’s a double meaning. I think I just confused myself lol
That’s cool. Has anyone ever heard you sing?
My folks, some friends, people at my middle school when we had that seasonal concert thing. And high school. In piano class my teacher was jealous I hadn’t came to the school one year earlier ( i was in 12th grade) he would have tried to train me. And some people get the privelege to hear my when I at the market or doing yard work. I sing as a soother and it can be about anything. From mowing the lawn, to eating a cracker lol.
Do you like your English class? I’m not sure how old you are so I apologise if you’re out of school already
I’ve read this one before…it’s really good, i forgot about it until now
I’m 15. I like to write. it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. However it’s hard writting because I have dyslexia. My dad thinks I should just chose a different career because he has no faith in me. But I’m going to try anyway
I have a father who’s like that with whatever I come up with to just try and give myself hope. He tries to belittle it and some days I can handle it better, but other days not so much. What things have you done so far behind the scenes towards what you want? I know you’ve written here and I haven’t noticed much wrong with your writing. But I don’t know much about dyslexia to be honest
Eh, I’ve been writting since I was 8 or 9 so since I’ve gotten so much practice, it doesn’t effect me as much as it does on others. Basically it flips things around in your head. I get numbers 6 and 9 mixed up. P and b. In one of my stories, I wrote: “he ribbed through the banner”. Ribbed instead of ripped. Happens all the time in everything. I hate taking multiple choice tests because I’ll say a letter in my head and somehow it messes it up and instead of putting b I put d. Idk it’s just frustrating. Algebra is very hard. I get numbers mixed up so fukin bad. Variables x and y look too alike. My mind messes that up too :/
I’ve started getting that way lately. Or maybe I was like that and I never knew it. It’ve been messing up appointment dates or money totals when I buy something. Just recently did it too. My appointment is on the 7th but instead of the 7th I wrote on the 6th. And the money wise. I bought something for $8.73 but for some reason I kept saying 8.37 in my head and ended up having to recount when the cash register lady pointed it out.
Since you’ve been doing your writing for years I’m sure you’ll be prepared for when you do your next step. Funny enough I read your ribbed as ripped lol and wondered why you had it twice and realized I was reading it all wrong.
I read that line so many times and I never even realized it was wrong until I posted it on a website and someone pointed it out to me. And I don’t know if you have it. I never knew until the middle of 8th grade. They have done online tests if you want to find out.
I’ll probably check out some later on when I’m not so foggy headed. It’s really just one of those months for me. I knew it was when mom told me yesterday I put bananas in the refrigerator instead of in the fruit bowl. I’m just out of it.
And writing is something I had to switch to as my artistic skilled started to decline. I needed to have another outlet or I’d become pent up.
What genre do you write in mostly? I seem to shift between poetry and lore
I write stories. Usually about things that influence me. I use to write fantasy, but now I write mostly about modern realistic topics. I post them on a website called fictionpress.
That’s pretty cool it does seem like you have some potential if you’ve transition from fantasy to the real. When I wrote alot more in the past I used to slip my experiences into my writings. I was apart of a forum where the 6 of us wrote a collaborative piece. One of the most oddly loved parts was one chapter took place in a hospital setting. I used the experience I had from visiting hospitals with sick family to give everyone a grounded perspective without anyone knowing that was case when I wrote through my characters.
Personal experiences help a lot. I haven’t written anything in a while. I’ve had too much on my mind. Writers block :/ I’ll try to tonight and see how it goes
I wish you good luck with the type of the keyboard or stroke of a pen. Thank you for taking time to chat with me also and for talking with others too. I’m going to relax for now and play video games. Take care and be safe
Okay thankyou