Red light

Sakshi

- One minute read - 174 words

Glistening eyes and fragile hands
She was chirpy like a little bird
Giggles echoed around
Across the street, as she swirled

Until darkness clouded her eyes
And hunters found their prey
In a blink of an eye
Was her home snatched away

Woke up to another world
In a small cage, the little bird
Stranger eyes and deafening noise
Fluorescent walls and red lights

Sing to them day and night
For that’s what they do
If they don’t want to die.
Sing to them, forget how to fly
There’s no key to this cage
You will never see the blue sky.

New faces in old damp rooms
Damp, as if soaking tears
There’s no window to look for
A ray of sun or a ray of hope here.

Until one day,
when the cage broke loose
And the sun touched her skin
It’s more scorching than pleasant
And now she’s lost her wings

Forgot how to fly
The world outside was unknown
It’s time to return to the cage
Now that’s her permanent home.