Update October 2021: Since this story was first posted I've changed and rewritten it as part of a compilation. If you want to read a better version of this story, along with others like it, click the link below for directions on where my chapbook Death of Dreams can be downloaded or purchased.
Rain streaked down my cheeks as I stood still
Staring back across the yard
Yearning for the cage I had freed myself from
Even through the storm I could feel the heat from the fire
Flames licked the building and consumed timber
That once encased me, stunting my growth
Mourning the loss of everything I knew
Knowing I could never go back again
Anxiety for an uncertain future
Mud pooled between my toes as the flames died down
Driven towards the charcoal bed still burning brightly
Back unbent as I watched the red color fade
The coals died hissing as rain choked the life from them
Too much for the sparks to bear
Beautiful in their death throes
With my past turned to ash I rise
Red feathers gleaming and streaming behind me
Muted no longer by dust, I fly!
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