Despite all my rage
I am still just four minutes
of silence
                          —John Cage

Succumbing to pain
Growing numb to the ice chains
Forgetting the cage

She's in a
self imposed cage.
I can see it in
her eyes;
a demon's hell-fire.
She loathes humanity,
especially men.
Anyone can blame
past circumstances for
how they are currently,
but ultimately,
love unlocks the
door to the
prison of hate.

Tell me-
What happens when you cage a wild animal?
Does it forget what it is meant to be?

Does it forget to hunt,
And gather food,
And search for its prey?

Does it forget that it is no longer free,
That it can no longer reach-
Past the glass enclosure?

Does it forget its instincts,
Its defense mechanisms,
How it protects itself?

Does it forget the family it once had,
Its home,
Where safety came easily?

Tell me-
What happens when you cage a living being?
It forgets what it is meant to be.

Soul bounded by lust
prisoner in a red-hot cage
where every step burns
and there's no one to trust

How desperately you want
how pointless your battle
you're the fighter
you're the jailer
oh - what a taunt!

Cast into an iron box
Shut and put away
Somewhere that no one knows
Might as well be in the middle of the sea
Or in another galaxy

You can claw at the walls
Until your nails are ******

You can scream for help
Until your voice turns hoarse

You can tell yourself that you'll be fine
Until the words don't make sense anymore

You can close your eyes and try to make it disappear
Until you don't know what is real:
    The darkness below your eye lids
    ... Or the Darkness around you?

You lie in there
Until you don't know

What is up and down
What is sound and silence
What is real and imaginary
What is alive and dead

Which is you and which is the Darkness

i bought a bird in a cage
with the intention to set it free
i hung the cage on the tree
and opened the door wide

the bird looked at me
and did not move
i sat there, it sat there
we sat there

for hours

the wind came in and out
bugs went in and out
the cage swung
the bird waited

it did not move

i coaxed it out
with promises of berries and leaves

it left the cage
and sat on the floor
still
still it did not move
it sat on the floor

and waited
i waited
it waited
we waited

the crows gathered
circling the little bird
waiting for me to leave
so they could seize the opportunity

but i waited
it waited
they waited
we waited

the bird hopped
it hid in bushes
it climbed on a branch
it looked at me
still
still it did not fly

it began to get dark
the crows got closer
it was time for dinner
for me
for it
for them

the bird looked at me
coaxed me with fear and love
to let it back in the cage

i let it go back
i closed the door

it was safe
it was still
it was home

he had never learnt how to fly

There are lives I haven't remembered
Memories that are like caged birds
Freckles on skin to give recollection of a sun
I have bathed in when I was once young
The moment I find the gold in the pan of dirt
My simplicity is gone
Trays of tea and food only make me want more
Servants are steadily changing
As I get older
Where does youth go as I age?
Who does my brother become?
Is my sister still around?
There is a starting point after 10 years
Before I know it I'm 30 years old
Without a child or husband
Without a home or car
Still living in my dad's house
How do I move on?