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Cecilia Jane's Idea of Freedom
by Rusty C Arquette
Cecilia Jane
inherited a bird
from my brother
a parakeet
with yellow
and white
feathers
it was like
the thousands
that were sold
at Woolworths
when I was a kid
this one
was typically flighty
and constantly
chirped
as it bounded about
its large cage with
amphetamine-like
abandon
Cecilia Jane
fed the little bird
gave it fresh water
and changed the papers
in the bottom of
the cage with
regularity
she installed
a mirror
a bell
and a cuttle bone
for the wee bird
to get its minerals
and keep its beak
trimmed
and sharp
which it used
to nip her
like a fowl
feathered fiend
Cecilia Jane
didnt care much
for the little
parakeets nipping
nor did she think
the bird had much
of a personality
instead she
talked about the
African Black Mask
shed had years ago
a love-bird she said
like a tiny parrot
it was funny,
and precious,
and a real clown
she called it Coco
the parakeet
never got a name
Cecilia Jane
was 89
when
she got
the parakeet
.
her vision
was going
as was her back
forgetful,
in a fuzzy world,
she wobbled
around her house
often
she would leave
the cage door open
the parakeet would
either sit in the cage
or at the opening,
but rarely
did it venture out
into the room
it hadnt had
its wings clipped
so on a few occasions
it had taken flight
circled
the room
frantically
only to return
to the safety
of the cage
I came by
one afternoon
we chatted
she fed me
cookies
shed
forgotten to put
sugar in the batter
she didnt know
the difference
I saw the
cage door open
on the birdcage
and the parakeet
was no where
to be seen
I asked her
where her
little friend was
expecting her
to say it was
in the back
bedroom
she said,
matter-of-factly
its gone
she told me
it was out of
the cage
earlier that day
shed stepped
out the back door
to shake a rug
the bird landed
on her head
shed been
startled and
brushed at it
thinking it was
a bug
it took off
spiraling up
and up
into a blue
Florida sky
up and up
until it
disappeared
forgetful
or purposeful
it was hard to
tell with
Cecilia Jane
She
wasnt hurt
by her mistake
and the absence
of her tiny
feathered gift
she was cool
and unreadable
a grandmother
with a poker face
her only offering
was the comment
well, at least
its free now
I learned long ago
when a caged
bird finds freedom
and takes flight
it flies
up an up
searching
for the ceiling
of the room
for the top
of the cage
flying
higher
and higher
until it becomes
at last too tired
to go on
its bursting heart
quits
and it falls
spinning back
to earth
in reflection
I now can see
where this might
be Cecilia Janes
idea of freedom
04/21/2007 Author's Note: My mom was a strange bird...so to speak - RCat
Posted on 04/21/2007
Copyright © 2024 Rusty C Arquette
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Quentin S Clingerman on 04/22/07 at 01:26 AM A most intriguing view of freedom and of your mother and the bird! Your usual sharp delineation of character and scene. |
| Posted by A. Paige White on 04/22/07 at 04:55 AM Great story, RCat. You sure know how to tell them. |
| Posted by Elizabeth Jill on 04/22/07 at 01:03 PM God I love the way you visit stories upon me! |
| Posted by Rhiannon Jones on 04/22/07 at 02:29 PM Enjoyed this! |
| Posted by Meghan Helmich on 08/05/08 at 08:23 PM oh rcat, this is just heartbreaking. i love it. |
| Posted by Charles E Minshall on 08/10/08 at 03:35 AM Enjoyable read Rusty.....CharMin |
| Posted by Tony Whitaker on 08/11/08 at 03:43 AM Wow. I loved the way this unfolds and the allegorical twist at the end. |
| Posted by Sandy M. Humphrey on 08/11/08 at 06:07 PM The stories you tell are so detailed and colorful and the characters, well RCAT what rich and wonderful people you share with us. smh |
| Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 08/14/08 at 06:46 PM LOL! Another feather in your cap so to speak Rusty. Although I'm pretty good with most animals, especially dogs and cats, my ex and I had for a short time (heh) a budgie. This thing hated me, perhaps because it could tell I was a bit afraid of it nipping at my fingers if I got too close to the cage. If memory serves me correct, I gave it its freedom also. :o) |
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