THE EXOTIC BIRD

The light seems so different here, breaking through the square pains of the window

Its morning yellow rays lay heavy on the welcome table

Illuminate the streams of smoke from the cigarette in Baldwins fingers

The exotic bird is exiled far from home

To this oasis, other birds will come and go 

To find that missing part of his soul

Wine, bread, and cheese go untouched, forgotten in literature thoughts

Conversations of gossip and politics winding down to a witty anecdote

The high lined brow the toothy grin not to smile back would be a sin

The exotic bird is exiled to another land.

To leave home to find his courage and stand like a man

One day an end will come to this exile soon will return home

Struggling with the times as they change but still stay the same

To find a corner of the world to claim sanity to be sain

Just wanting to feel peace in his life, no need for fame

The exotic bird is exiled to his mind.

The contemplation of life will be the inspiration to fly

Hearing the echoes of his brothers and sisters call

The broken threads of history woven into a scarf around the neck

Is it a comfort proclaiming I am a man, or will it lead to his death?

Rewriting the language of equality that we still don't understand

The exotic bird is exiled with unclaimed guilt.

To journey on the southern roads to pay a personnel debt

The culture of the family never to forget that he has missed

©Copyright Thomas J. Dooley 2021