Fly On...

Eggs that lay in a cozy nest,
Bore fledglings tiny full of zest.
Filled with exuberance unbound;
Awed by every sight and sound;
Trifle scared
Of the distant ground.

Food that flew right to their beak;
Pillowed on feathers, snuggled to sleep.
The little birds now growing fast.
Their brethren flew, whizzing past.
The nest so small,
With the sky so vast.

Desire to fly filled them all.
The bravest one answered the call.
Gingerly, on the edge it stepped.
Took a leap and vigorously flapped.
Mid-air the entrant
Grimly trapped...

The wind gods rushed to help it fly,
Buoyed the bird to kiss the sky.
The siblings gazed with delight
Their brother's smooth, graceful flight.
Defying gravity;
Gaining height.

Far, a gun intently traced;
Followed the bird as it paced.
A gunshot cut the silent sky.
Panicked birds pell-mell fly.
The pilot screamed
An unheard cry.

The bullet soared, its target found.
Plummeted to the dreaded ground.
The first time flier flew its last.
Froze with terror, scared, aghast;
The birds that saw,
A brother grassed.

Fear instilled by the gory sight,
No one dared to take the flight.
All cowered in their mother's wings,
Till courage the morning sunlight brings;
The tragic past
No longer stings.

One more bird leaps from the edge,
Following the nature's pledge.
Plethora of dangers cloud the sky.
Though destiny the perils deny.
Did not deter
The bird to fly.

Disasters come and strike us all.
It matters not how far we fall.
Life goes on despite our loss.
We move on too after a pause.
The past begins
To gather moss.

Fear and sorrow do not last.
Future heals traumatic past.
So spread your wings and soar away.
Don’t let the wounds of yesterday
Hinder the joys
That come your way.