This Sparrow they no longer fly

Sing me atop a warm wooden fence post      
from a bleak blue wayward sky      
cradle me on dying wings      
this sparrow they no longer fly      
   
carry me through swaying grass      
brushy pastures I used to know      
let me see my wife once more      
my lover let her know      
     
tell my father I forgive him      
console my mother when she cries      
even though I’ve crossed the plains      
this sparrow they no longer fly     
     
sail me back to Heiskell      
where my childhood was lost      
my family, home, to Tennessee      
amidst my vagrant thoughts      
     
ashes grey, sweet meadows green      
earth claims again once fourth whats brought      
this harbinger no longer flies      
and ceases to be caught      
     
be brave my fledgling you’ve seen me fly    
now you can do the same      
today’s horizons bring a new      
go fourth and spread your wings