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Birds and Cages and Fire MAG

September 29, 2011
By Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
More by this author
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;il piu nell&#039; uno,&quot; (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)<br /> <br /> &quot;Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality&quot; ~Emily Dickinson<br /> <br /> &quot;The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain&quot; <br /> ~Kahlil Gibran

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A master asked his songbird if it dreamt
of open sky
It said “Lord, it created me, so I pray you
let me fly”
So, he opened the nearest window
And took hold of the feathery thing
And flung into the air a bird
With a pair of branded wings

The angels are fainting and they're falling from above
The lovers are frowning, 'cause they're
running out of love
Though Autumn's leaves are colored
They're beginning to die
And the poems are still breathing
But they're beginning to die

So our bird flew past falling angels, flew past rising men
Flew past crows who laughed and said that gladness is a sin
It dropped feathers into canyons
Dropped tears into the sea
Pondering liberation
And immortality

The thinkers think in circles, and they're rolling down the hills
The writers stab their parchment with the points of sharpened quills
Our dreams are never distant
Till they reach the world's end
And we have to hitch a ride to meet them
On the sunbeams or the wind

Blessings will blossom and curses will adapt
So our feathered hero flew, and then
was trapped
Its master, sipping centuries
Watched the little body age
Saying “you foolish creature,
Was it really I who wrought your cage?”

But we never could surrender
So let's defend the helpless bird!
On our lips, may there be a confession
In our hearts, the sacred Word
May we breathe the air which bore us
And wear our only Name
And though the odds are against it,
Fight for the flame!

© Charlotte M., Naples, FL

The author's comments:
Your Raven seems to be fascinated with freedom lately, but he doesn't know why.

Perhaps you will offer me your hearts.
Post a comment
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This article has 36 comments.

SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND said...
on Feb. 23 2013 at 8:25 am
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I&#039;ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. <br /> - Maya Angelou <br /> When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn&rsquo;t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out<br /> The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay<br /> If love produced a blossom/I&rsquo;d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I&rsquo;d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven<br /> And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

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I've run out of words to say what it is like nor do I feel after reading these by you, that I am even worthy enough to do so so I shall merely say what it made me feel like, first a dawn of little understanding, could not hope to grasp it all,  then a deep sadness and then some relief and joy...  
leafy said...
on Feb. 16 2013 at 10:07 pm
leafy, City, Other
0 articles 0 photos 682 comments

Favorite Quote:
Gil: I would like you to read my novel and get your opinion.&nbsp;<br /> Ernest Hemingway: I hate it.&nbsp;<br /> Gil: You haven&#039;t even read it yet.&nbsp;<br /> Ernest Hemingway: If it&#039;s bad, I&#039;ll hate it. If it&#039;s good, then I&#039;ll be envious and hate it even more. You don&#039;t want the opinion of another writer.&nbsp;

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Also, congrats on getting published!
leafy said...
on Feb. 16 2013 at 10:06 pm
leafy, City, Other
0 articles 0 photos 682 comments

Favorite Quote:
Gil: I would like you to read my novel and get your opinion.&nbsp;<br /> Ernest Hemingway: I hate it.&nbsp;<br /> Gil: You haven&#039;t even read it yet.&nbsp;<br /> Ernest Hemingway: If it&#039;s bad, I&#039;ll hate it. If it&#039;s good, then I&#039;ll be envious and hate it even more. You don&#039;t want the opinion of another writer.&nbsp;

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Well, it certainly has been a while since I last read any of your poetry—perhaps a bit too long. I hope you've been doing well, Raven. Anyway, once again, a great poem. As for your freedom comment in your note (well, I'm sure you've contemplated this already, considering it's almost been two years), but perhaps you had been thinking on it because, well, you were growing older. Thoughts of freedom tend to become more frequent as you get into your older teenage years and prepare to leave the nest...
TheIdea GOLD said...
on Feb. 1 2013 at 12:27 pm
TheIdea GOLD, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
10 articles 1 photo 5 comments
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I wrote the once, I feel its relevant: We are all flames, walking around on this street. Our bodies bonds are so neat I cannot stare at my feet without feeling the flame And we join And all our bonds with allign Well start a fire this time
In_Love_with_Writing GOLD said...
on Jan. 7 2013 at 9:11 pm
In_Love_with_Writing GOLD, Easton, Pennsylvania
12 articles 0 photos 389 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.&quot; Phillipians 4:13

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Nice job writing this! This was really well-written! Can you comment and rate some of my work?
tayrobin BRONZE said...
on Jun. 27 2012 at 7:11 am
tayrobin BRONZE, Sydney, Other
2 articles 0 photos 10 comments
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This was amazing! Such a good read, and the flow of the whole poem was so pleasant. Good work :)
KatsK DIAMOND said...
on Jun. 5 2012 at 2:01 pm
KatsK DIAMOND, Saint Paul, Minnesota
57 articles 0 photos 301 comments

Favorite Quote:
Being inexhaustible, life and nature are a constant stimulus for a creative mind.<br /> ~Hans Hofmann<br /> You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.<br /> ~Ray Bradbury

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Wow. This was really good. Congrats on getting in the magazine, Thesilentraven, and by the way, you guys are way too articulate for me!
IamtheshyStargirl PLATINUM said...
on May. 10 2012 at 5:48 pm
IamtheshyStargirl PLATINUM, Lothlorien, Utah
44 articles 16 photos 2206 comments

Favorite Quote:
Boredom instigates extreme creativity. <br /> ~Amoniel<br /> <br /> "Bowing gratefully to all of my subjects, 'thank you. Thank you. The pleasure is mine." Nah, I'm just kidding. We're all kings together.'" <br /> ~Thesilentraven

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It is newborn, though not yet quite mature...
IamtheshyStargirl PLATINUM said...
on May. 10 2012 at 5:40 pm
IamtheshyStargirl PLATINUM, Lothlorien, Utah
44 articles 16 photos 2206 comments

Favorite Quote:
Boredom instigates extreme creativity. <br /> ~Amoniel<br /> <br /> "Bowing gratefully to all of my subjects, 'thank you. Thank you. The pleasure is mine." Nah, I'm just kidding. We're all kings together.'" <br /> ~Thesilentraven

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Published! :D 

I am happy in my friend's recognition, however seemingly insignificant that recognition might be, a mere blip on the long lifetime of a raven. <3

savetheplanet PLATINUM said...
on Jan. 21 2012 at 1:07 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

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An also beautiful thought. Have you written anything new lately?
The Silent Raven said...
on Jan. 21 2012 at 1:02 pm
There is One, I believe, who remembers all. Our souls are memories forever being reincarnated through the life of God, an ongoing story. No one is lost forever. Nothing is forgotten. (But everything is forgiven).
savetheplanet PLATINUM said...
on Dec. 9 2011 at 7:52 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

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That was beautifully described :D
Aderes47 GOLD said...
on Dec. 9 2011 at 5:08 pm
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love. <br /> Henry Drummond

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Sorry, :) :)
Aderes47 GOLD said...
on Dec. 9 2011 at 5:07 pm
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love. <br /> Henry Drummond

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I like that! :
RedFeather GOLD said...
on Dec. 9 2011 at 8:30 am
RedFeather GOLD, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
12 articles 0 photos 155 comments

Favorite Quote:
Prose is like walking but poetry is like dancing.<br /> &mdash;Paul Valery, poet (1871 - 1945)

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I absolutely agree. Our belief is that God created everything, so why would he create such wonderful stories if he didn't want people to read them?
RedFeather GOLD said...
on Dec. 9 2011 at 8:28 am
RedFeather GOLD, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
12 articles 0 photos 155 comments

Favorite Quote:
Prose is like walking but poetry is like dancing.<br /> &mdash;Paul Valery, poet (1871 - 1945)

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Yes, things like poems last on forever as long as they're remmebered. Given life by the love of the memories of others and the emotions outpoured in their words. But people die much more easily. Try to move a spider's carefully woven web from one place to another. It cannot stay together, and just like the silver strands break and fall to the wind, a person can easily be lost to the world, to others, and to themselves forever.
savetheplanet PLATINUM said...
on Nov. 30 2011 at 7:23 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

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Things only truly die, when no one remembers them.
Thesilentraven PLATINUM said...
on Nov. 30 2011 at 6:20 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;il piu nell&#039; uno,&quot; (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)<br /> <br /> &quot;Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality&quot; ~Emily Dickinson<br /> <br /> &quot;The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain&quot; <br /> ~Kahlil Gibran

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Poems may die as easily as people die.

But at their deepest level, both are everlasting.

Rayne GOLD said...
on Nov. 25 2011 at 12:13 am
Rayne GOLD, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
17 articles 0 photos 46 comments
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When I read this, I thought of hope.

It would be so sad if poems died.

Thesilentraven PLATINUM said...
on Oct. 18 2011 at 4:47 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;il piu nell&#039; uno,&quot; (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)<br /> <br /> &quot;Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality&quot; ~Emily Dickinson<br /> <br /> &quot;The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain&quot; <br /> ~Kahlil Gibran

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That's why I chose the name Brann.