Poem ~ Abused Parrot

[Peta]

I found this poem in my parrot mag Oct 04. It was written by Anne Kenyon.

I didn't ask to be your pet,
You said you wanted me.
I was taken away from the world I knew,
Though not unwillingly.

I'd learned to trust the human hand,
With its soft and gentle touch,
So patiently I waited for
The caress I loved so much.

I meant no harm that day I screeched
I just wanted you to see
That someone lived behind those bars
I thought you had forgotten me

Then the human hand I loved so much
Came through my tiny door
But it offered me no gentleness
As it knocked me to the floor.

A feeling welled inside of me
Like I had never known
I felt frightened, hurt, confused and lost
Within the bars of my new home

But patiently I waited
For that hand to treat me right
But it rarely came to bring me food
And there were no toys in sight

In boredom and in loneliness
In hunger and despair
I slowly ripped my feathers out
But no-one helped, you didn't care

So I learned to hate the human hand
As it slammed down on my cage
It held a brand new meaning now
Fear, pain and rage

And then one day a stranger came
And to my great surprise
Gentle words came from her mouth
And tears welled in her eyes

But then the terror filled my heart
For that human who had cried
Opened up my tiny door
And put those human hands inside

I screamed in panic, fear and dread,
As I waited for the pain
That the human hand would give me
As it slammed me once again

But gently I was lifted
From my prison, cold and bare
But still I bit at those human hands
In my terror and despair

The new prison I was taken to
Was somewhat different to my home
Fresh food was all around me
And toy friends to call my own

And the human hands that touched me
Brought on me no more pain
And slowly as the weeks went by
My ravaged feathers grew again

And as the weeks passed into months
I began to understand
That once again I could begin
To trust the human hand

I'm old now, really very old
But my memories are clear
Of the gentle hand that soothed the pain
From the hand I'd learned to fear

I'm tired now, really very tired
Many years my life has spanned
So I close my eyes for one last time
Safe from harm in the human hand.

 

[Alison]

That poem is very good, but sad. Can I post a poem here, or should I start a new thread?

 

[Peta]

You can post here or start a new thread, either way

When I read that the first time I was in tears, then my daughter read it and she too was in tears. It still brings a tear to my eye everytime I read it. I do like the way it was written, from a Parrots point of view.

 

[Alison]

A BIRDS LIFE

I sat in a cage in a busy pet store.
Whose employees saw me as just one more chore.
I was bought by a family and brought to their home.
They played with me daily I was never alone.
Then came the baby and mommy's too tired.
No time for the birdy, and daddy got fired.
For a time I can handle it for it couldn't last?
Then out of the blue came a traumatic blast.
I was torn from my home, I was given away.
Take care of the birdy was all they could say.
My new home is scary, in time I'd adjust.
But it didn't last long enough, my hopes were a bust.
And so I was sold to someone with kids.
But they left for college, now I'm up for bids.
I had new owners, who were husband and wife.
They yell and they scream and I fear for my life.
Then one day it happened, the mean one hit me.
This is exactly how I feared things would be.
I tried to be quiet and I tried to be good.
I hoped they would treat me the way that they should.
No longer that trusting, I'm afraid can't you see.
I bit into the hand of the one who hurt me.
Another new place, where I just want to die.
They want me to breed, but why should I try.
This is my life, I'm a throwaway bird.
Our numbers are many as I'm sure you have heard.
I'd tell you my name, but thats way in the past.
It's been 20 long years since I heard it last.
I'm at the end of my life, too young you may say.
But my journey was hard, I'm too broken to stay.

I wrote this poem in loving memory of all the birds who have lived and died the life of a throwaway bird. Alison

 

[Peta]

That is a sad poem, had me in tears, unfortunately it happens all to often, You are very clever to have written it so well. It is beautiful I hope more people get to read this. Would you mind if I copied that to another site, I will tell people you wrote it. If you would rather I didn't just say. Also when my website is up and running would you mind if I added it to that.

 

[Alison]

You can post it where ever you would like to. I have had it published a few times, but I never gave anyone exclusive rights or anything. I think people need to read these types of poems, sometimes just to wake them up to the suffering that so many birds endure.

 

[Peta]

Thank you, and how true is that, maybe just maybe one day all of the cruelty will stop, now wouldn't that be something! Lets hope