Do you remember the little bird? The swallow with the broken wing that she found stranded on the side of the road?
It was quite a while ago, now. You were so little.
You used to plead and beg until she let you hold it and stroke its soft, dark blue feathers. The swallow wasn't very pleased, but you were so delighted. You would sit for hours cradling the delicate creature in your palm, reluctant to put it back in the shoe box that served as a part time cage. She hovered around you to make sure that no harm would come to the bird for the first few days, but she gave up eventually and let you be.
She would say, "That bird's gonna start stickin' to your hand if you don't put it back."
You honestly could have cared less.
But the point being, the reason why you should recall this, is because of the way you finally helped her set it free.
It was October, and the swallow had managed to e s c a p e, flitting to the best of its ability into the nearest tree. You weren't at all ready to give the bird up yet, standing there beneath the weeping willow, wailing relentlessly. This, of course, did not compell that poor swallow to come back. It tried to climb higher in the wispy branches, searching for a way out and finding its strength before taking the final plunge for freedom.
She came up and put on a hand on your shoulder, leaning down and whispering, "Let it go."
You stopped crying. And you looked up at the swallow, then turned away and walked into the house.
Just like that.
Oh, you have grown so much since then. And now you are the swallow. And he is you.
But you are trapped in a gilded cage, chained within, an iron padlock on the brazen door. He is a much crueler jailer. He is not as kind as you were, not as gentle. He caught you as soon as you left the nest and you feel that it is too late to turn back. And the longer you sit in your gilded prison, the more firghtened you become of what lies beyond, and the more you hate being caged.
Dear me, you are in quite a dilemma, but, Little Bird, you are not alone. There are others, just like you, trapped and anxious. Break free, maybe you could be the one to help them as well.
You are too scared to try and e s c a p e, but you must spread your broken wings and try.
