© Caroline Aiken, Glutton For Publishment, BMI

The door opens wide
we walk inside
we feel the shock
from the clang of the lock
others sit and wait
not knowing what to make
for some the first time
behind razor wire

She comes into view
Singing and kind
could this be true
this bird of mine
thrives in such a place
living in grace
she walks the line
she survives

behind razor wire
sings a song bird
her heart beats strong
her spirit flies free
undaunted and sublime
she sings to the sun and the wind and the trees
she remembers in her dreams
Outside her confines
she knows what it’s like
flying tandem with her kind
free to dive and climb and be
and she…dreams
of the time she will fly
and readies her wings
calming her mind
knowing that all that stands between her and the sky
is time.

How does she find the strength to carry on
I should be the one to cheer her up
but instead she makes me laugh
and breaks the spell from this earth-bound hell
with her heavenly song

though locked in a cage
her song is true and brave
her spirit flies free
razor wire can’t stop a dream
that lives in a bird
who knows and believes
that all that’s between her and the sky
is time.