Riddle
What is the purpose of a fence?
To keep the peacock safe
from lions lurking in the grass.
To protect her from the kangaroo
loose
in the outback.
But what of a peacock tamed?
If she is maimed
can she endeavor to show her true colors?
What is the purpose of the nest?
To give the flying flock a rest
when they alight to drink.
Purpose of the empty cage?
To mourn the songbirds now extinct.
To answer the riddle: sadness, rage.
by Glenna Luschei
Featured in Rare Feather: Poems on Birds and Art (forthcoming this November)
Congratulations to Glenna on being featured on Ted Kooser’s American Life in Poetry (Column 549)!