I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou

A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange suns rays
And dares to claim the sky.

But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill for
The caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.

But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.

The Dream Keeper

The Dream Keeper by Langston Hughes

Bring me all of your dreams,
You dreamer,
Bring me all your
Heart melodies
That I may wrap them
In a blue cloud-cloth
Away from the too-rough fingers
Of the world.

12am - dressing up naked - Joel Tee

layer by layer,
I peel off this
crumbling armour.
Dirty work. Mea culpa,
exposing the sin of
desire. My hands
bleed red. Show of face.
Throw away this Judas to the Jesus
in his head. Under this lonely state
we’ll all fade. So layer
by layer I strip this soul
naked, where is that Scapel,
where are the bandages?
and a surgeon gotta have his
gloves. My stars shine ahead
like lost sages, So layer
by layer I reopen resilient
wounds that just
wouldn’t heal. Layer by
layer I dress up by unclothing
the deceiving.

(It’s a mess of red
and white on the floor.
That is my body.)
My soul runs free.


(Information should be accurate at the time of poem submission.)

Joel Tee is currently a secondary four student studying in Singapore. His hobbies include reading, writing and playing the guitar among other things he likes history, literature, and music. He writes poetry for leisure in his spare time. (http://www.poetrybillboard.com/authorview.asp?aid=27)