we are as free as birds should be.
Unlike those edible birds they favored,
Neither two legs, four legs, man or beast,
Welcome us at their table for feast,
Or as their caged pet to keep.
Though we possess no great talent in flight
No gift of speed, or tenacity to fight,
No acrobatic maneuvers or unusual skills,
We are the most unlikely bird to be killed.
Often the eagle passes us on their way to hunt,
Sometimes returning unsuccessfully
Still not looking in our direction
Quiet as a mouse, on the job each day
Eating to keep your city clean is our pay.
We pose no threat to any living thing,
Harmless as a dove they say.
They even forget about the importance of our job
And that’s all right,
Thanks to man, their law protects us
Thou shall not kill the vulture, so they say.
And that’s the law in all the land,
I do believe that men are smart
Who will do my job if I become extinct.
A Cursed Womb
A white house and picket fence
Serves as a landmark in an affluent neighborhood.
No loitering on the streets
And no police walking the beat.
With flamingos, swans, and exotic fish
Parading in their pond
While peacocks stroll their manicured lawn,
With no children to play hide-and-seek
Among the well-pruned trees.
The bittersweet love their hearts can feel,
When with pleasure their eyes behold,
Children playing in glee.
Content and jolly, no fears or cares.
May angels their guardian be,
While their grieving hearts in constant plea
To open the portal of a cursed womb.
Two souls that needs to be a family
In a house they hope to be a home.
If only her womb could be blest
And bear them fruits of their own.
No giggling, shouting, screaming, or laughter.
No jeering, cheering, yelling, or applauding.
The voices of children are absent from the ears.
No sharing of joy on the well-manicured lawn
And the lonely golden retriever stand silent and still
With no children with which to play.
The cursed womb had reaped a spell
When first a fetus life the parents expelled
And locked the portal, no ins or out
And now an infertile womb, a deserted tomb.
Fancy cars in their driveway parked.
They fashioned rubies, diamonds, and cultured pearls.
Many precious jewels upon them are bestowed,
But a cursed barren womb never to be restored.
The Rainbow
That colorful arc displays itself in the sky,
One of nature’s most exciting creations
That stimulates our curiosity
And leads us to awesome wondering
Just how Mother Nature paints this way.
With her seven primary colors in the sky
Arching over the oceans, lakes, and seas?
Vivid colors as bright as the stars in the sky,
One day it’s there, and the next it’s gone.
Where did that colorful arch go,
And why did it leave us so soon?
Its presence has graced us for less than a day.
Then without a warning, it is gone.
Did it disappear, or did it move to somewhere?
No marks remain, not even a single blot,
That beautiful and yet illusive work of art
Nature paints on its canvas, the sky.
Those rainbows often come in a full circle.
But seldom, if ever, have they revealed their all
And grant us a treat to our eyes.
The rainbow, an arc painted in the sky.
A Lonely Craft
A lonely craft battling a storm
Trying to find its way home
As it ventured across a channel.
With a single man as its captain, mate, crew, and cargo,
What would prove a difficult task for a crew of four
Now seems an impossible feat for one.
With a single crew and the absence of cargo,
His vessel so light, all throughout the night,
