Wings
by Isha Shah | Art by Jennifer Lee
I
if she had wings,
they would be golden,
speckled and dusted
with sunshine stolen.
a bright-burning flame,
blazing flags unfurled.
with fire and embers,
she’d blind the world.
if she had wings,
they would be strong.
through gilded cage
and violent throng,
she’d crush and cut,
and vanquish thee.
she’d break the world,
and watch you flee.
if she had wings,
they would be safe.
an ever-warm haven
for any wild waif.
her downy unders,
quiet and tender.
she’d save her world,
and you’d surrender.
if she had wings,
they would set her free.
no longer tied,
nor to earth nor to me.
feathers spread wide,
face turned to sky,
and i left on earth,
to watch as she flies.
IV
i have wings!
i am blessed:
the sky came down,
my head he kissed.
my hand he held,
his spell a whisper—
a sharp pain in my back,
the wind moving swifter.
i have wings!
i have come to the sky,
i serve in the courts
of king and queen high.
i have wings,
and i am free!
on the winds i glide
from the land to the sea.
my burns are soothed
by smooth blue satin,
my head pillowed
by clouds of cotton.
VII
she had wings,
and they were golden.
speckled and dusted
with sunshine stolen.
they gave her life,
she gave me hope,
i gave her love—
she left me to cope.
she has wings,
it’s been twenty years,
the hope she’d return
slowly disappears,
my daughter has her spirit,
my son, her nose.
my hands are now old
(she once held them close.)
she has wings,
they have set her free,
she must be happy.
(she could be with me.)
II
if i had wings
i could be free,
conquer the wind,
and harness the sea;
if i had wings
i could be brave,
valiantly, not silently,
go to my grave;
if i had wings
i could be strong,
protect my home,
and right all wrongs;
oh, if i had wings
i would be safe.
i’d run away, hide,
no comfort i’d crave.
V
she has wings,
i watch her fly,
her smile so bright,
it lights up the sky.
she has wings,
and i must let her go.
she’s never been so happy,
(but i’ll never see her grow).
VI
i have wings,
and i am happy.
but this high above,
it is cold, unhappy.
the warmth of your love,
it calls me down,
i yearn to walk again,
to lose this crown.
i have wings,
i crave your hugs.
you lie beneath the clouds,
safe and snug.
i rear like a horse,
downward i plunge.
closer and closer,
i can’t wait to lunge
into your arms,
your scent, your smile,
your love, it waits,
nearing by the mile.
i have wings,
i pass through the clouds,
i see cities below,
alive with crowds.
so close! almost there!
i reach out my arms—
my breath is knocked out
by a cruel wall of bars.
VIII
i have wings:
they are bloody and beat.
these bars will not break
nor bend beneath my feet
im tired and hurt,
but i will not cease.
it’s been a month or two
ill soon be released
i have wings,
want to be free,
i want to go home,
want your love with me.
IX
“she had wings,”
my grandchildren listen,
they watch in concern
as my blind eyes glisten.
X
i have wings
and they are not strong.
i have not escaped
nor vanquished a throng.
i have wings,
they slash at the sky.
the blue satin won’t rip,
maybe neither will i.
i have wings
and i must get home,
my love is awaiting,
with no sky to roam.
III
if she had wings,
i would be alone.
no love any longer
for off she’d have flown
no smile to admire,
nor laughter to cherish,
for if she had wings,
she’d never come home.
i have wings,
i came to the sky,
i cannot leave,
(is it too weak to cry?)
i have wings.
and i am alone.
there is no love,
on this flighty throne.
i thought i’d be free
but the sky’s no home,
it’s a gilded cage,
an unyielding dome
that hangs over my head
as surely as death;
i’ll break through these bars,
if it takes my last breath.
XI
she had wings,
i fondly remember.
her smile and lips
now only an ember
in the flame of my heart,
as it sputters, dying.
she’d never returned,
she’s happier flying.
XII
i have wings,
i have escaped my cage.
but now i fall,
i’m wizened with age.
the wind in my ears,
my eyes closed, unseeing.
before i hit the ground,
i think: this is freeing.
i have wings,
but they need not fly.
they’ve done their job,
never gone awry.
they’d freed and saved me
and broken the world.
now they can rest;
to the ground I whi—
XIII
she had wings,
they set her free,
but she won’t return,
nor to earth nor to me.
she had wings,
i think with a smile.
i’ll see her again
as i walk the last m—
