To Cages

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"Aj sei khorir gondi muchhiya gachhe, kintu gondi tobu ghoche naai "
--Rabindranath Tagore, Jibon Smriti 'Ghor o Bahir'.

Locked up within the confines of a four- walled cage,
The mind was enchained with care;
Locked up within the confines of a four-walled cage,
The lips were tamed and bare.
Imprisoned thoughts and imprisoned dreams,
Could never unearth the beauty within;
Imprisoned thoughts and imprisoned dreams,
Turned love and longing into a sin.
Compassion and consolation fumed out the language of curse,
Wounded soul left unheeded and un-nursed.
But one fortunate day, they unfastened the shackles of her feet,
The ecstasy of her ‘self’ knew no bounds;
With the wings un-clipped and all set to fly,
She was free; free to soar beyond the vastness of the sky.

But each time she struggled to make the first move,
Her efforts went in vain,
But each time she struggled to make the first move,
Her shattered hopes mourned with pain.
Inhibitions persistently held her back,
Each time she stepped out of the ties;
The corporal boundary might have been wiped away,
Yet, the make-believe limit of the mind never dies.

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