I once was a bird
I once could fly
Over ****** dam creeks
Through the blessēd sky

I once had wings
As strong as the Sun
A chant never boring
And never outsung

But winter was always
A season away
As the trees would fade
And the birds migrate

Their v formation
A hopeful glow
Of the freedom I never knew
I’d never know.

Each year with the snow
And the cardinal’s arrival
The Zhaunagush came
As we ran for survival

Lungs on fire
Our only chance
To escape such hellish
Circumstance

Not all of us
Could run so fast
Some fell into
The white man’s grasp

We kicked and screamed
But made no sound
Were silenced ‘til buried
Unnamed, in the ground

I once was a bird
I once could fly
Now caged I sit
Missing the sky

Eggshell walls
Glisten from outside
But within, you learn
What closed doors can hide