birthed into a golden birdcage safe behind upstanding spindles endless nectars and suet at your beckon knowing only the showcase of your plumage and the sound of your tunes
layers remain between you and the grackles painted a nuisance yet they stay unshackled only poisoned and disregarded.
still they know the freedoms not found atop swings and perches dig deeper until you find what lurches.
the gate can be opened when you realize yourself to be the gatekeeper yielding what's mine using wings of more than feathers making up for lost time.
looking back at the captivity you couldn't see from inside. entering a new world with the grackle as my guide.