A Red Bellied sparrow thrashes
Desperation clawing against the clear glass
Of a crimson window frame
Feathers soft turned brittle with fear
Push and push with no result
Fighting a one sided battle
With an immovable object
And a mind that cannot comprehend
That this battle cannot
And will not
Be won
Red bellied sparrow with heaving chest
Throw yourself against the window
No more

Cradle of mercy
Cup the wilted head of the defeated
Carry it gently
Feeling with curious fingers the fluttering
Heart beat of an animal trapped
A being consumed by fear and confusion
Nestled close against your chest
Feel the fear from a cage
Cast by the crimson shade of light
Of an escape masked with unseen bars
Carry it gently
Out into a light untainted with crimson
Where, extended into space
The cradle parts
Setting the red bellied sparrow free

Return now to the cage of your home
The red bellied innards
Of a cage you could never recognize
Carry yourself gently
For the walls are closing in
As you set one free
You lock yourself in
Creature of mercy find your cradle
To carry you free
Red bellied sparrow your feathers are all gone
Your battle has stripped you of your wings
Even now your war against this window
Between you and your dreams
Red bellied sparrow with heaving chest
And a broken heart
Throw yourself against the window
No more