AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A BIRD
A Poem by Ahmad Gaus
It’s been three days my bird in the cage doesn’t want to eat. And last night, when I gave food, he refused it smoothly. “I’m not hungry. I just need a pen.” I was surprised to hear that request. “What for?” I ask. “I want to write a biography.” Then I put the pen in the cage.
In the morning I found the bird lying lifeless. On the wings a sign reads: “Lord, my life and death are yours. Today I return everything to you, except these wings. Give them to those who crave freedom.”
Bandung, September 15, 2018
Ahmad Gaus is a writer and social activist. His activities is around tolerance and religious freedom. His dream is to let go of all the birds in cages all over the world. He wrote a number of poems in two anthologies: I Await You on Cisadane River (2013) and Twilight in Jakarta (2017). He also teaches language and culture courses at Swiss German University (SGU) in Tangerang, Indonesia. Besides writing poetry, he also wrote in social, cultural, religious, and political issues.
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Caged Bird – Poem by Maya Angelou
The free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
About the Author
Maya Angelou
Born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, writer and civil rights activist Maya Angelou is known for her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which made literary history as the first nonfiction best-seller by an African-American woman. In 1971, Angelou published the Pulitzer Prize-nominated poetry collection Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die. She later wrote the poem “On the Pulse of Morning”—one of her most famous works—which she recited at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993. Angelou received several honors throughout her career, including two NAACP Image Awards in the outstanding literary work (nonfiction) category, in 2005 and 2009. She died on May 28, 2014.
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