A caged bird only sings songs of sorrow.
Perched next to a weeping willow,
He begs a thousand pardons as the walls close,
Contained by the cold, cursed cell.

His harmonies meant no harm
Until he was silenced by calls for containment.
Exiled by the audience, the swallow speaks no more
Entrapped by fear, he wallows in his cage,
Humming occasionally to his depressed dance.

With numb talons, he pecks at his prison in vain,
Stabbing for freedom found far from fear.
Failure fenced, then caged this brittle bird.
No longer in flight, he pleas for relief from this plight,
And upon deaf ears, his cries ring through the night.