The Bird That Was Never Broken

a baby falcon,
I was thrown in a small cage
my captors shoved birdseed down my throat
and used me to relieve their rage

they tried to bend me and break me
to make me loyal, they clipped my wings
showed me little love but they didn't see
that love was all I needed

They never let me see the world
kept me in the dark and told pretty lies
to groom me into the form they wanted
and they never tried to let me fly

one day someone came
this someone was different than the rest
he took off the blindfold, taught me to fly
taught me to choose for myself which was best

seeing the truth at long last
I no longer wished to conform
and that's when my captors returned...

they tried to shove me back in the cage
screamed, threatened, hit and yelled
but the cage was too small, I'd grown full wings
and they finally saw I had rebelled

to make them feel good about themselves
they tortured me with their words
tried to pin me and clipped my wings
brand labels and keep me from other birds

They tried to label me
they tried to guilt me into coming back
but I had flown above out of reach
I'm sorry, but I now run with a new pack

their words still bang around in my mind
they label me a traitor, devil, whore
in their heads I am the cause of their grief
but I'm sick of their lies, I will take no more

do i need to apologize for my love of flight,
for growing and finding my way
for seeing the truth and doing what's right?
must I live with their labels day after day?

sure, I have flown out of their reach
but their words still threaten to shoot me down
like bullets they scream, "BANG! BANG! BANG!"
filling the silent skies with frightening sound

I will not break, I will not fall
I will not bow, I will never conform
I cannot be what you want me to be
and i would rather soar through the storm

...than fly back to you