For the Bahá’ís in Iran
In this cage
Made of greed,
Made of ignorance.
Made of rage.
In this cage,
Sits a body.
Whose legs beg to run free
Whose back longs to stretch up like a tree,
Whose eyes yearn to see red, purple, yellow,
Not just the shades of grey, all faded and mellow.
Whose ears await to hear another’s voice.
With all this, this body would rejoice.
In this cage,
Sits a glowing bird.
Whose wings ache to extend wide
To feel the wind in each feather,
to never again see another wall, bar or tether,
To rise limitlessly high
And hear the song of its cry
Echo throughout the night sky.
In this cage,
This body is engulfed in outer pain,
Their weak broken frame,
Held down by a chain.
But their fervent and infinite soul
Cries tears of joy,
For this inner freedom,
No one can destroy.
In this cage,
The bird chants,
cries out, sings.
Imagining into the heavens its wings.
And flooded with glorious light,
The bird takes its final flight.
Never again bound to the metal poles
That encircle all these glowing souls.
In this cage,
This body closes the eyes,
Dreaming of the sweet taste,
Of endless bright skies,
Of when this all shall end,
And the bird
May
Soar
Forevermore.