Member Poem

Out there in the stormy sky,
I watched a black bird fly.
It had a rat clutched in its mouth,
And over the mountains it flew South.
Why must it fly so high?
I wonder.

Past the rocks I watched the river meander,
Sometimes thick and sometimes slender.
Day and night it flows,
Even when the wind no more blows.
Why must it wander so?
I wonder.

A shadow falls upon me, 
I look up and see a giant tree.
It has big red flowers,
And on me it suddenly showers.
Why must it bow so to the wind?
I wonder.

Why do they live so, the birds and rivers and trees and hills?
I wonder.
And suddenly it hits me, a strange enlightenment in me fills.
The bird is free,
And so is the tree.
Forced there by no destiny, they stand tall.
Suddenly, I feel a little too small.
I am like the rodent in the bird's beak,
Powerless and unable to reach my peak.

That's when I realize I want to be a river,
Explore the unknown and be a giver.
Or a tree,
Offering my boons to travellers for free.
Or maybe standing tall like a hill,
However hard the winds try to tilt me.

Why can't we all be like a river, hill or tree,
Unafraid, immovable, generous and free?
I wonder.