Saturday 28 February 2015

School

source

A huge three storey cage it is

Birds inside look longingly

At the empty sky

The sun is cruel

Its each drop is a link of a chain

That ties them up

An uncanny hush rules the cage

Birds hop silently      

And count hours for freedom’s bell

Ring, rIng, riNg, rinG

Goes the bell at day’s end

They trill, sing and fill the sky

 


Posted for Poetry Pantry @ Poets United

40 comments:

  1. Oh yes, beautifully described. I recall that feeling well, and the shrill chirrups of the escaping hordes.

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  2. How we used to run from school when the bell rang...the caged birds sang. I remember it well..well shouting and laughing rather than singing!

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  3. this reminds me of this old iglesia in torreon cuahuila, mexico i used to hear its ringing bell in the morning, at noon and in the evening.
    could see the birds and pigeons fly off into the mountains that touch the sky.
    gracias for this memory, Sumana Roy

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  4. Tra-la-la-la- Chirp-Chirp, Tring-Tring, after the freedom bells ring,
    Birds will happily sing :)
    Such a positive thoughts, Sumanaji :)

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  5. School can be like a cage..i love how the bell rings and the birds can fly free...can hear the chimes through this wonderful poem..laughing as playtime comes

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  6. How much that three story cage prevents the song .. Still so much needed of just the freedom comes in the afternoon,

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  7. How sad for those birds to be caged ~ My young son before was gifted with two lovely birds in a cage ~ After a while, he thought he heard their sadness, so he let them go ~ Those where ornamental prized birds & afterwards he didn't want pets as gifts anymore ~

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  8. Ha, this reminds me of how I sometimes used to feel when I was in school. You have captured the feeling well!

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  9. I like how the title makes us read the poem so differently. These little birds like it when the bell goes, don't they?

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  10. i wonder if they know they are caged

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  11. luv that image and your poem today; i can hear the birds thrill

    i'm happy you dropped in to read mine; have a nice Sunday

    much love...

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  12. Truly captured that sense of captivity--there was the tick-tock in my classrooms, that seemed unending. Really enjoyed this :-). My link on comments isn't working for some reason, but the link at PJ does

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  13. Whoops, I meant Poets United...

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  14. Nicely captured and freed, Sumana!

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  15. I felt myself in school again looking out the windows longing to be free in the sun....I heard that ring too....I loved how you used the capital letters there.

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  16. i always felt that birds should be free

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  17. a powerful song.
    http://ihopsmithwalkingpath.blogspot.com/2015/03/haiku-and-poetry.html

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  18. I never felt caged up in school; always enjoyed it, even when we had tests! But, I must admit, on those beautifully warm and sunny days, waiting for that 3:45 bell, felt like hours!

    Lovely words and images.

    Poppy

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  19. School sometimes does make you feel trapped! The last few minutes can feel like an eternity. But when that last bell rings, joy it surely brings!! I love you used birds for this. I owned birds for over half my life and I've vowed to never keep them as pets again. They were born to fly :)

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  20. "and count hours for freedom's bell." I love that!! I once had budgies because I loved their cheery chatter and song.....till my friend said he was surprised I kept caged birds, since I loved wild things so much. I couldnt keep caged birds after that.

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  21. "They trill, sing and fill the sky"
    truly lovely line ~ wonderful analogy! children are caged birds when in school, aren't they? great poem!

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  22. oh my, i fell from the stairs when i was in college because i was in hurry after the bell. thanks for this Sumana :)

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  23. You described that feeling perfectly waiting for the bell to be free.

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  24. A vivid and beautiful take on "school"!

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  25. A wonderfully thoughtful piece. It brought to mind the Maya Angelou poem: I know why the caged bird sings.

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  26. Really like your metaphor and how apt it is to that world of school and its captives,

    Elizabeth

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  27. Birds should always be set free.

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  28. Very reverberating... how you connected days at school to a caged bird. Indeed, the feeling is so mutual... ha .. this sure brought back memories from times of yore. Great li'l piece, Sumana! smiles.

    - ksm

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  29. Sumana,

    Recalls days when the sound of the bell seemed to take forever. Obviously a few bad school memories, possibly involving mathematics!!
    Eileen

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  30. Took me back to my lovely school days.. :) As a kid we used to keep waiting for the Bell Person to ring the bell.. to set us free. Loved the imagery!

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  31. it makes me sad to think of those birds in a cage...even one that big...to see the outside world and not be able to touch it...how cruel...

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  32. We have had so many birds feeding during this last snow. They are fund to watch.

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  33. Learning without the practice of living can be such a terrible cage indeed...

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  34. Ahh...you took us back to our claustrophobic classroom days, Sumana!! Beautiful poem...unforgettable reading!!
    It takes more than a little mental and physical effort for a kid to keep sitting on a chair...Today, educationists have proved that while fighting the restlessness and impulsive nature of children, we end up denying an important developmental stage....!

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  35. Wonderful imagery.

    Thanks for coming to visit.

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  36. I can image multiple parallels to this situation. The imagery is vivid and beautiful. :)

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