Better than Gold- a poem

 Better than Gold- a poem 

Age 6 to 10

I pecked at the delicious berries, yum yum,

My tummy was full, I wasn’t really hungry

I pecked away just for fun.

A little bit though, I wasn’t greedy,

Why should I when I wasn’t among the needy?

 

I get what I want before I want,

I have a hundred servants around me,

My wish is their command.

 

If you are thinking who is this lucky guy,

Hold your breath, let me introduce myself,

I am the royal parrot of Rajah Suray.

Don’t you dare call me a pet, I am much more,

I am the most loved bird across the seven shores.

 

My golden cage is as big as the rajah’s own,

Don’t tell him, but i think it is much prettier too

Soft couches, yummy food, amazing games abound.

 

It may not come to you as a surprise,

I dislike all other birds in the skies

Like the crow  cawing on the old tree outside,

Having rats for lunch, and what else beside.

 

Why does he seem so carefree and  happier than me,

Why is his flight so light, his voice so bright?

I have everything in the world and all he has is that tree?

I wanted to understand the reason for his bliss,

And get what he had ,what I had missed.

 

So I had my servants bring him outside my nest,

I came straight to the point. I did not wander,

My time was too important to waste and squander.

 

I said, I am the luckiest bird, that there is,

He loves me  and there is not a wish he would deny

 Now, tell me what exactly do you posses?

Why don’t I ever see you in distress?.

 

The crow answered in a caw cawing voice,

With no sophistication or culture whatsoever,

I could not bear the noise

 

Friend, I live a happy life, I have all that I need,

My home the tree is owned by us all,

Food to eat, nest to live and many friends -indeed.

I play with my friends and fight a lot too,

But they will help me through and through.

 

I laughed heartily at his silly innocence

Did he know what it meant to be rich?

Tree, food and friends are of no consequence.

I said, Pretty much I would say you have nothing,

And by the way, you have no idea what you are missing.

 

I do have one thing you do not, he continued unasked,

I listened with bated breath in spite of myself.

I have freedom, freedom of choice.

I choose my tree, I choose my sky,

I choose my measly food, I choose where to fly.

 

I got ready to shout at him at his impertinence,

I have more choice than he ever would,

Was he thinking that the royal parrot had no sense?

I replied in a menacing voice that left no doubt of its sting,

I can choose for sure, Maybe I choose to wring your wing?

 

Come fly with me to the forest, he said with a laugh,

If you free, step out of your nest by choice,

We can  easily return in an hour and a half.

I will show you how the clouds move of, how the rivers flow,

The birds chirping in languages unknown and the majesty of the lion’s roar.

 

I knew I could not move away from this position,

My beautiful palace of gold and more

Was it indeed my palace or was it a prison?

I would never spread my wings and feel the wind blow,

Or get chilled to my bones in the ice cold snow.

 

Friend, I understand, I indeed do not have,

The biggest gift of all-the freedom of choice.

Help me here, tell me what should I do?

Will I ever be free and happy like you?

 

The unkempt crow did a sudden somersault,

And fell to the ground on his back

I shrieked in fear completely appalled,

I could not and would not do this blunder

Giving my life was not a plan to consider.

 

As he got up and flew away with a smile on his lips,

I saw my friend wink from the corner of my eyes.

Wait, I think I understand his trick.

And I made the plan, my plan for freedom,

 

The next day when my servants  came with the food,

They shrieked and cried and run aghast,

For I lay on my back completely as still as I could.

They immediately sent word for my master,

Who shed tears of sorrow at this disaster.

 

Lay my friend in my palace garden where I dwell

Whose berries he loved so, he ordered

And wait for me to bid my last farewell.

They did so with utmost care and love,

And set me on the ground with the blue sky above.

 

As the dear men bent this heads in grief,

Waiting for the king to arrive, as asked,

I did a quick turn around and flew out of their reach.

I flew up to the tallest tree in a zing

And felt the free air strike  my wings.

 

The King and the servants called to me first with love

Quickly the love turned to rage and anger

At the trick I played on them here and now.

I squawked meaningless words and jumped endlessly

Life is nothing if it is not free,  for me