by Thor Kangas

A little bird perched in her cage
Envisions flowered trees
Her mind, it soars beyond the gate
Just yearning to be free.

The lofty flights in morning sun
Awaken every sense
She dreams of very simple things
Like lighting on a fence.

She dreams of warbling morning songs
And gliding ocean shores
Of sailing through the clouded sky
With wings like feathered oars.

This little bird holds on to hope
Perhaps one day she’ll see
The world outside her wire cage
Someday she’ll be set free.

These little birds are those oppressed
By China’s iron fist
Whose liberties are locked away
Their beliefs and lives dismissed.

Should they, some day try to escape
And enjoy their simple things
The CCP will snatch them up
And break their feathered wings.

Some wild birds can ne’er be tamed
Or beaten to submit
These are cruelly ripped apart
And discarded in a pit.

Oh, perhaps the day will come
When this bird is given the key
Broken, the fist of the CCP
Falun Gong forever free.

* * *

 

Recognized as an Honorable Mention in FoFG’s 2025 Poetry Contest