The eagle
Beating,
Once proud wings against the bars.
Tiredness in dull eyes,
Weariness,
No will to live,
Refusal to accept
The hopelessness
Of the sudden doomed plight
Thrust upon her.
Humans parade before her,
Gaze with wonder,
And with awe,
A touch of pity
Lights some face.
Who takes note
Of chipped beak
And glossless feathers,
The joy scraped out of her.
No escape,
No way out into the open sky,
Ceaselessly she throws herself
Against the rusted bars,
Her voiceless scream,
A cry for help.
Daniella Lief, year 8, Mayfield NSW
This poem comes from the collection New Voices for the Animals - Young Australian Writers Speak out on Issues of Animal Welfare.
Animal Liberation SA holds the copyright to this work. Permission is granted to teachers to make copies for their own students.