Shadow of a Wing

There once was a man who thought himself king
His kingdom was small
Composed of many cages
Song birds in them all
Waited on by no pages
All their needs met by the man who thought himself king

Sweet song for the dawn
Mournful song for the moon
Song issued from all the small cages
The man wondered what song
The birds would sing for the wind
But he could not bear to free them
So he paraded them each day
Down the towns dusty streets
Hands loaded with wire cages

The townspeople were greeted
Each day around noon
By whispering songs on the wind
The songs made them feel hopeful
Yet strangely forlorn
When the twittering faded into the distance

There was a man who thought himself king
He ruled over many small cages
Birds sang in them all
Until one day while taking his walk through town
All the bird fell silent, never to sing again
When the shadow of a wing fell upon them

One wild cry
Came down from the sky
And the shadow of a wing fell upon them

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Shadow of a Wing, Acrylic, Ink & Paper on Canvas