Birds
With every fluttering beat of wings
they built dreams of heaven and freedom
and no contrary winds
stand in the way
of their endless will
to live
They don’t know where they’re going
and every day is all the time
no yesterdays, no tomorrows,
it’s the sun that guides them,
and so they
always find their way
sailing through the seas of Heaven
When they look in the mirror,
they don’t recognize themselves
they don’t know if they’re birds or fishes
yet
every beat of its wings
is a cry for life
and for every Moon that rises
a different end
with promises of new beginnings,
no past can hold them back
and no future can blind them
To be a bird,
you need courage
a strong heart,
a pair of eyes to guide you
through the tides of intuition,
your wings must be strong
firm but loose,
know how to rule with skill
and harmony
the power of the air,
endure fatigue and pain,
always know where the North Star is
transform flying into a dance
or a song,
and always have somewhere to land,
something to bring together faithful companions,
always have a map
where there are no destinations,
houses, starting points
or marked treasures
And every morning
start new journeys
with no memories of previous days
with nothing to trap you
and fly through the infinite cosmos
knowing that freedom comes with a price
and when you try to master the sky
you can’t be afraid
and even though you know you might fall,
you have to keep dancing in the wind.
Rolando Andrade, 2024
On the surface this may seem to be a simple poem about birds, but there many astute observations about reality built into it, such as this one:
"To be a bird
you need courage,
a strong heart,
a pair of eyes to guide you
through the tides of intuition."
And there are many life lessons also. How easily these lines could be applied to so many situations in which we find ourselves:
"When you try to master the sky
you can't be afraid,
and even though you might fall,
you have to keep dancing in the wind."
I believe I tell myself something similar every time I endeavour to create a new poem that might someday soar on its own without me. Nice work, Rolando!
Admiration is twofold - for all our wonderful birds and for the poet 🩵