Like the breath of a lover, I feel the warm breeze.
The breeze carries the fragrance of Springtime’s tease.
Senses aroused by flirtatious blossoms;
Myriads of colors flooding my gardens.

Blackthorns, Azaleas, Crocus and Dahlias
Clothed in beauty, tossing seductive glances.
Springtime’s powerful elixirs and tonics
Intoxicating lovers with her elaborate sonnets.

Sung through the trees, the Robin’s melodies.
The time of the year for the birds and the bees.
Cardinals and Larks sing breaking the spell,
As the captives of winter are released from their cells.

I walked the streets,
wishing to hear from you today,
but I see the sad memories as the Adonis open up to cry and pray,
and I remember that I'm just going to slowly fade away,

I was to see a man holding Aster's,
who looked a whole lot like you,
I remembered how you said you loved me,
and then I saw the man pull out flowers as blue as your eyes,

a blue like Anemone for a women,
just as her and my face could show the fading hope,
how she remembered getting Apple Blossom's as a promise from you,
like you had promised to much to keep to me too,

you feel the Bittersweet in the Truth and patients and love you gave,
and you feel Blackthorns stab at you as if it isn't difficult enough,
to forget the pain,
and let the memories fade,

your on your way home,
and you see the bellworths all closed up as if hopelessness is dead,
and the Bittersweet Truth,
is trying to tell you look for the Bellflowers as if he sent you them,

but your heart will learn,
as you race home,
your heart will drop,
when you don't see hee wants to talk to you,

but when you see Butterfly Weeds on your doorstep,
as if he was trying to tell you,
Let Me Go,
when you wanted him to fly back,

I just saw a canary land
on a barbed wire fence

May have mistaken it for
brambles, or blackthorns

An alien domain, after an
entire lifetime in captivity

Suddenly, it flew upwards,
away to a barcoded window

Perched on your sill, I thought,
they have a mutual understanding.



Ryan O'Leary
The Proscribed Poet



Poem composed today at
the gates of Vassa prison
in Finland, perhaps I used
a bird as my metaphor just
to convey the fragility and
fickleness of our freedoms.
One might wish to analyze
it in more depth or enquire
if indeed the canary sought
safety from a liberty it was
unaccustomed to and not
yet capable of managing.
Could it be that the canary
was a refugee in need of a
a safe haven and albeit it be
back in a cage, it was at least
shared with and cellmate who
had empathy and understanding.


I leave it with you to peruse
and deduce what the author
was feeling and to whom and
where was he referring to.