PerKelt – Air & Fire (2019)
The little stories behind words...
1. RoRobin and parakeet
One silent night the parakeet slept in her cage of gold
The moon was new and breeze so sweet, she let to fly her soul.
But then she heard a sweep of wind, the open window creaked,
A tiny robin, prince of streets, Came nosy, as you’d be.
“Why are you here, in the cage of gold?” the little bird so asked
For he never saw another soul being locked behind bars.
“Why don’t you fly like the leaves? Why do you stay in here?”
But instead of the parakeet Answered her silent tears.
My soul, my sweet little singing friend,
It’s not your fault, that you cannot understand.
That with the eyes closed, I can see what the life could be
And there’s no rules around the world, but the wind and you and me.
“Why don’t you fly above the roofs like any other bird?
Why don’t you try to put in use the wings you’ve got since birth?”
The little robin pecked the bars, the cage was made of gold
And hiding from the glare of stars the parakeet him told.
“I saw you flying in the streets and playing with the breeze
But unlike robins I’m not free, I wasn’t born for trees.
Look at my cage, it’s made of gold, and so’s the golden key
The stars are shining through my tears, I’ll never become free.
My soul, my sweet little singing friend...
And so spoke little parakeet but robin couldn’t hear
For when you’re born singing and free you get afraid of fear.
So the robin left the golden cage and the beautiful sad bird
Thinking “when I don’t understand it’s too easy to hurt.”
My soul, my sweet little singing friend…
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I have a particular feeling about keeping birds in cages… in Czechia parakeets are a very popular as
pets and when you see these amazing creatures trapped in a box, 50cm by 50cm their whole life, it’s
disturbing to say the least.
But I also have a feeling about some friends around who are very unhappy about not having enough
freedom, keep complaining about the job they don’t like, the system they are trapped in… yet
refusing to give up on the material comfort their lifestyle brings. New phone every year, big TV,
massages, eating in restaurants and getting drunk every night... Hence the “golden cage” and
“golden key” imagery… But the particular feeling of mine in this case is not anger, I would rather
define it as a confusion :) Maybe they really can’t change it, sometimes. I don’t know… Or I don’t
know how they should do it, myself. Sometimes they are very scared for their children, how would
their classmates treat them if they were different? I don’t have children yet, myself, so what do I
know? And sometimes they are simply scared to death of being different themselves, and I can see
that whatever I say makes them suffer… Their self defence would be to convince me that I am wrong,
I should change my values, even “grow up”… and at one point, when everything necessary has been
said and shared, me talking or even staying any more would cause only pain, possibly to both of us.
***
