Song Bird

by Dewayne Allday

Please save me song bird,

and sing a song.

Show your colors

and don’t wait too long.

I’m waiting for daylight

in a black as coal night

wanting to set you loose

and save us in our plight.

Please save us song bird,

we’re caged up too.

The cage that holds you

has a hold on us too.

Song bird, Song bird,

sing us a song.

Show us your colors

and don’t wait too long.

Song bird, song bird,

where is your voice.

I’ve been too busy,

but not by my choice.

Dwelling withing

and dwelling without.

How did we get here?

How do we get out?

Canary bird, Canary bird,

Fly, fly, fly.

Within you, without you,

I may die.

June 9th, 2007

For me, poems come to life from inspired thought and this particular poem was written about a bird, a colorful bird, a canary. Years ago coal miners had a safety device that protected them from death in the coal mines. It was a canary in a cage. What a miserable life some of those coal miners must have had in those dark mines years ago. The canary, as beautiful as it was, had very sensitive lungs. It sat there on it's perch singing along and also gave the coal miners something to see and listen too during their work. Coal mining was very dangerous work for more reasons than one. Different gases could go undetected in the mine and actually kill the miners. When the canary with the weaker lungs started to bobble and couldn't sing it meant that the gases were at a dangerous level and the coal miners must get out fast! I just felt sad for both the coal miners and the song bird and it inspired the poem.