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The peculiar bird.
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By: adaobi adibe
(School of Electrical and Electronic Eng.)
Competition Year: 2016 Votes (1) | Comments (0) |
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It told me its story yet it spoke no words.
Its feathers tattered, its posture well
I was mesmerized, as if under a spell
Its voice exceptionally ordinary, yet its song unique
It flourished among its peers though physically weak
This bird I met, yes quite a strange one
The look in its eye, you could tell it had won ‘the prize’
It treads ever so lightly, yet it let its presence be known
Its body did not break even when thrown at with stones
Oh this bird, what could it be?
Its breed unbeknownst to me
A humming bird? Of course not, its song far too bittersweet
Our eyes meet as it approaches me
As with any bird I assert my authority
Waved my hand in the air as if I possessed a magic wand
Commanding this bird to disappear, to be gone
Yet it came back and brushed gently against my leg
Leaned on it for support
I kicked it away, and still it returned
Back and forth we did this, each time I resisted
Each time it came back, more determined than the last
I gave up. I let it lean, and lean it did
And then it began to sing a song
This song carried no rhythm no beat
Such a peculiar bird, would you not agree?
It sang and sang the same song over and over
It even began to tap its feet
What beat was this bird hearing?
Asked to confirm if others could hear it
None could, let alone took notice of this bird
And then without saying a single word
I watched this bird ignore its herd
As they all sang in tandem yet this bird ignored
Such a weird characteristic, to be admired or a flaw?
It sang its song and was not moved
After a while even I started humming its tune
Eventually I watched it fly away, this bird with tattered wings
Watched it fly so high as if he were king of the sky.
This bird, its breed unbeknownst to me
I could care less now what it could be
As now I see it would make no difference
All that matters is its’ tenacity and its resilience
Its breed could not justify what I saw
It cannot be caged so by definition can only soar
Though physically weak carried itself with its head high
Never have I met a bird with such pride
Now wherever I go I hum a tune
This tune with no rhythm or consistent beat
If you’re lucky you may even see me swing my feet
Bop my head shake my arms, can’t stay still in my seat
Listening to my own sound produced by me
And I’m dancing to it with nobody
A beat only I can quite catch and I think, I’m not sure it’s called being happy.
