even a caged bird is free in the mind

by HUI RAN

I wake knowing that I live on the edge of Eden—
There is more sky than my open arms can bear.
Birds clamor, boundless, canopy-wards,
Drawing gulps of morning air, sun tender on their wings
Carrying on unconscious of what makes
A cage, a life behind wire
Of sipping away the rich day like water from a dish.

I too know that my life is uncaged.
A bird’s brain is the size of a walnut
But only mine is bound in a nutshell
In a corner of this infinite space.
When the warmth passes over, I want to sing.
During a lull in the rain. Awaiting the first 
Slivers of infinite sun. With the buoying, galloping breeze.
When the hour and minute say—there is
No occasion in mind, none save 
The abundance of the day.