‘No bird in a cage ever speaks. What is there to say? The sky is everywhere, churning above its head, blue and endless, calling out to it. But the caged bird can’t answer anything except “I cannot”.’[1]

– Sonya Hartnett

I     INTRODUCTION – TAKING FLIGHT

Entrapment.

Fear.

Isolation. 

The caged bird struggles under the burden of these emotions, yearning for relief from his desolate plight. The wiry walls of his cage shield him from a world vast and unknown to him, but one that his soul desires with fervent passion. Unable to spread his wings, he sings of freedom, his voice piercing the night as he mourns the loss of a life he has never tasted. He serenades the world with a beautiful lament, hoping someone will stop to listen and understand his grief. Yet as his voice crescendos, the howling wind drowns him out and eventually he quietens, his voice hoarse. 

Why sing if no one will listen?