The Shy, Tiny Bird
--
A Mindful Piece on True Freedom
In a cage with a wide-open door
lies a shy, tiny bird
with supple and colorful feathers.
The bird rests as his cage contents him.
“Why bother going outside,”
the shy, tiny bird thinks to himself,
“if inside lies all I need.”
Soon a bigger bird appears out of the blue
and sits comfortably by the threshold of the open door.
He looks at the shy, tiny bird with curiosity,
and finally, has the courage to invite him out.
“Come out of this cage, shy, tiny bird.
If only you could see the vastness of the ocean,
the magnificent mountains,
and the huge, open skies,
never would you, I reckon,
stay inside this sad, little cage.”
The shy, tiny bird listens to his new friend,
and respectfully responds, nodding his head,
“Thank you for your concern, bigger bird.
But I think I do belong in my sad, little cage.
If I am ever to come out, who can guarantee
that the ocean waves won’t swallow me,
that the open skies won’t daze me,
and that the mountains won’t make me crash into them?”
The bigger bird ponders
and after a while, he speaks.
“Nobody can promise you such a thing,
shy, tiny bird. But I do tell thee,
that if you choose to remain in your sad, little cage,
How will you ever know
what the mountains will look like
when the autumn sun shines upon them?
How will you ever know
how it feels to be one with the sky and the heavens?
How will you ever feel
the taste of the ocean and its salty, gentle breeze?”
