2019 Mumbai city, Maharashtra State, India

A Caged Bird?

In a modern town, inside an old house,
an old, old lady used to stay.
On her porch, a cage was hanged,
for a bird who sings every day.

Both were there for each other,
in Winter, Summer, and Rain.
Both are there for each other,
in moments of pleasure & pain.

But deep inside, that bird was envious
of Sparrow, Swallows, Crows, and Crane.
The view from up there must be beautiful.
That suspense makes the bird insane.

Bird got jealous of the bright, bold colors,
when a Bluebird arrived near the cage.
“I am blessed by the sky”, the Bluebird said,
and turn the sadness into a rage.

The bird stopped singing for the old lady,
yet she fed the bird, as she was kind.
Bewitched by the sky, hankering for the view,
in the temptation to fly and find.

Bird realized that the door was left unlocked.
The lady must have forgotten, he thought.
So, the bird kicked the door open,
took flight, and now unable to be caught.

The bird flapped his wings, in no time,
he kissed the heavenly sky.
Now, it was time to gaze down at the view.
He was nervous but he try.

He gazed at the town with eyes wide open.
It was midnight but the town wasn’t asleep.
He saw lonely men and women standing
at their balconies, ready to weep.

The streets were noisy and people were lonely
inside those crowded bars,
Everyone was in rush, no one has the time,
to stop and look up at the stars.

People were carrying their heavy hearts,
but resisted speaking out.
Few were heartbroken, few were heartless.
Seeking a listener so they can shout.

All had this sense of incompleteness,
busy chasing something or someone.
No one reads a poem, no one tells a story,
no inner peace, just materialistic fun.

Some were coming back from their work,
others were busy doing overtime.
Sleepless bedrooms and faces without smiles,
a town where the feeling of contentment is a crime.

The bird roamed above the town,
for the whole night.
The bird went back to his cage,
with the first Sunlight.

With a song, he wakes her up,
the sweetest melody she ever heard.
She ran towards the porch,
and smiled but did not utter a single word.

A deep grin on her winsome wrinkled face
was the most beautiful view he has ever gazed.
“Last night you forgot to lock,” he told her,
“You never noticed, I never locked it.”, she said.

-Suhas Bondre

-Suhas Bondre

is a journalist, a documentary photographer, an academic, & most importantly a nobody. He is a wannabe Novelist & a cool vigilante (just like Batman). By the way, he is also an occasional poet & an excellent cook. Cooking was his first love & he loves her to this date but nowadays he also started a secret affair with cycling. He is interested in people, their lifestyle & culture. He is interested in Philosophy to know how mad this world can be, he is interested in Sociology to know how mad this world is, and interested in Literature so he can get away from that madness.

Suhas’s photography work was published & exhibited both in national and international media like Mumbai Mirror, BBC News, Nat Geo Traveller India, Boston Education Week, Chiizdotcom, Inspiro India Magazine, etc.

Suhas’s passion for photojournalism and his love of literature are the only two reasons
for all his suffering. He is constantly hanging between the facts and the fiction. Trying to figure
out which one is less scary?
And so,

He is in the ocean of curiosity,
he is a product of poetry & philosophy.
His tale is tangled by tempting socio-economic theories.
No end to his quest, just questions & queries