[A poem by Mr. Nanduri Ramachandra Rao titled ‘The Uncaged Birds’.]
A lonely old man he was bound to his bed
Mornings slow steps to
under a tree
Evenings in a chair by the window dozing off
Daily a maid came to make some food
Little suffices much left untouched
One morning he found a birdling by bench
Scared the little one hopped on to his lap
The old man couldn’t but
sooth it with soft touch
There it found its perch and wouldn’t leave
So the lonely silent mates had each other’s solace
One morning the maid brought a message
The old man’s son would arrive the next day
For a two day short visit and the maid needed leave
That afternoon the old man fell ill
Couldn’t get up, was too weak and helpless
Now a little bird, it tried to feed some morsels
Needing water he couldn’t swallow
Suffocated he left his ‘Cage’
The bird innocently put some more in
Motionless the old man
witless the screeching bird through the night
Morrow came but neither the son nor the maid
Next day they both came to find two uncaged souls.
