I know what the caged flower feels, alas!
Not having a place for her roots to grow
Or a time to dance beneath the rain
To replenish her thoughts or wash her pain
Her petals no longer seem to glow
Leaves as embers; a stem of steel
I know what the caged flower feels!
I know what the caged flower truly desires
I know why her petals really sting
She's been given soil made of fire
Labeled an artist but dressed a liar
Condemned to fly without her wings
Without any roots to really grow higher
I know what she truly desires!
I know why the caged flower sings, ah me
With her talentless petals on a horrible floor
An addiction to a world that won't let her be free
That trades stardom for her last leaf
Perhaps someday she could be something more
But never with the cage she brings
I know why the caged flower sings!
Note: For reference, read "Sympathy" by Paul Laurence Dunbar