Friday, September 24, 2010

Lady With Birdcages*

Who would keep an eagle in a birdcage,
Or a heron or an owl,
Or the head of a woman of dubious age,
Or varieties of waterfowl?

The man in white with slitted eyes
Watches from the weeds
As the wraithlike woman saunters by
Oblivious of his needs.

The look in his eyes is coarse derision,
But the birds know why
The bird-brained lady has made her decision.

We each have cages in which we imprison
Things that would fly
If we didn't thus impose our lack of vision.

*Note: This is a verbal illustration of a painting by my
daughter, Julia Rose Guerin.