Bound For Flight

Childhood is a bird whose soul is bound for flight.
But men would clip their wings and force them to the ground.
Remember this for tomorrow it’ll ignite your dreams so bright.

Outside, the swing belongs to the little girl in white.
Inside, the carpet brings the boy to a quaint Arabic town.
Childhood is a bird whose soul is bound for flight.

Grown-ups gather just to witness such a sight.
Their bullets pierce the air till the crows come crashing down.
Remember this for tomorrow it’ll ignite your dreams so bright.

Some, in pain, let go and choose to lose the fight;
Others in a whisper let the message be passed round –
Childhood is a bird whose soul is bound for flight.

Those who still believe, like a swan that holds on tight
Glides beyond the clouds, the sunlight captured in its crown.
Remember this for tomorrow it’ll ignite your dreams so bright.

Who knows? Your reverie from yesterday just might
Be a phoenix perched upon an ashy mound.
Childhood is a bird whose soul is bound for flight:
Remember this for tomorrow it’ll ignite your dreams so bright.



Disclaimer: This image does not belong to me. Find it here.

This poem has been published last November in Concrete, my university's independent newspaper. It's written in a villanelle, which is a poetic form that consists of five tercets and one quatrain, where the 1st, 6th, 12th and 18th lines have the same sentence. Same goes for the 3rd, 9th, 15th and 19th lines. This sounds complicated, but after a while, you might notice that the form is pretty straightforward.

That aside, all I have to say is that no one should ever give up their childhood. I don't mean childishness, as this is different from being childlike. As a child we learn to hope, and that's a lesson every adult should know.

I'm open to constructive criticism. Suggest new flying techniques and not shoot me down. Bird metaphors still in my head. Thank you!