In the Cage by Malkeet Kaur

There's a lone Peepal tree out there. 

And a window opposite

And a street.

A lonely woman peeps down 

As the silence of the day cloaks the alleys. 

The voices inside, of bustling life, recede with

The deepening shadows on the wall

And deepen with the first distant chirping of the wide wilderness. 

In between hangs the cage.

And a winged life who never could bathe 

In the scarlet glory of dawn 

Or the welcoming hues of dusk.

Yet, it sings with the dancing shadows.

A song for the woman with void eyes

A song to keep it company in the alien noise

An answering call to the roosting of the wild.

Malkeet Kaur hails from Mumbai, India. She works as a teacher and writes poetry when she feels strongly about some issues. Many of her poems have found places in online journals and anthologies.