The Feeble Bird from the Outdoors

The indoors sits quiet with delight

watching its keeper loiter inside it.

Its keeper, she draws not to the commotion outside

in fact, she quite prefers the silence.

Things to do, things to see, they may wait, says she

for she has interests elsewhere,

she lurks the indoors, pacing constantly

and can sometimes feel the growth of her hair.

The railroad crossing's ring-a-ding-dinging

sets her sight straight to the door,

a temptation from the outdoors, a bird along to it singing,

yet like the Raven she cries, "nevermore!

Nevermore shall I fall for that, you crude little bird!

Nevermore shall I conquer my fears!

For each time I try, the overall is quite absurd,

and I am left to my own device, drowning in my tears!

Nevermore shall I giggle like thunder,

for my laugh collects and twirls and builds,

and hurls itself outside, with it my sorrow's plunder

so nevermore, unpleasant bird, nevermore!"

Alas, the bird would not stop its crooning,

it landed on a branch by my door,

"don't be morose, I am for you behooving,

please don't respond to my help with 'nevermore'!

My darling, my darling, my little ripening seed,

why do you prefer me forgotten?

I am not that, what you curse, I am what you need,

I am nor abominable, nor heinous, nor rotten!

Do not deny me my right to adore your petite self, 

I am but a feeble winged being!

I am sickly, my wings are decrepit, I am of poor health,

You are the only form of hope I am seeing!"

"You liar," replied she, "all your falsity!

You disturb my sanctity and implore?

You flew just fine, shoo, leave me be!

I am content existing here, out there nevermore!"

"That word, that word, that abhorrent word,

seeping through my ancient ears!

The fact that you deny me, a weakly bird,

may you exclusively decay for years and years!"

© Nicole Haddad, 2014

Let not the outside world tempt you. Let not yourself neglect your inner sanctity only to be enticed by false hopes, and roused by the dangers of falsehood. Take a risk as it comes but only if you are mindful of both the good and the bad located within the risk at hand - why risk a potentially bad risk when you can risk a potentially good risk?

The bird in this poem represents the evil in the world, evil categorised by your individual moral and ethical standards and beliefs. Evil may tempt you, and you may respond with delight, but be warned that if you do you may then watch yourself topple downwards, embarking on a horrid journey never planned for.

Do not spend all of your times indoors, though. Open your door when the bird is not near, and walk on the path of righteousness and discover, learn, aspire, inspire. Be. Exist. Breathe. Enjoy. Live. Survive. Thrive. Meet, greet, depend, love, hate, learn from your mistakes and wander more than ponder, so long as you are central to yourself.

Forget things unimportant, but do not forget yourself, whence you came from, your heritage, your parents or guardians. Forget relationships unimportant but do not forget the highlights, nor the relationships that you refuse, for those may amount to something larger and more pleasant than expected.

Be friends with the indoors, and allies with the outdoors, but consider the feeble bird your fiend.