Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly

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Sometimes you need freedom. Perhaps you may think, being in the same nest always is an imprisonment. I understand that. Suddenly you  fly far away. You never tell me, where you are going. I never ask you. You are always like that.

When I woke up in this morning, I searched for you. Then I realized you are not by my side. I remember very well, last night you were sleeping with me, just by my side. Before you fell into sleep, you touched my weary feathers with your pinky beak. It was not a dream. Because I can see one of your feather's inside my nest.

This is your routine. You do this from time to time. Perhaps, this nest is not warm and comfortable enough for you. Maybe, you don't like to eat the same food everyday. Same ambiance every day, that’s boring. I know, you are different than me. You think like a rebel, you dream about life always, you can never be a caged bird. That's why I like you this much too.

I remember one of my great grandparents told:

“There are birds that fly very far, even over the oceans, so they can migrate to other countries. They can avoid hard times & difficult places.  One day they come again when everything is fine." 

I am amazed, I’m not that type. Once I remember, when I went to the village by mistake, one boy pointed at me & said:

“Here, Look at this…. it is an “endemic bird”

I did not t realize what that boy said about me on that day. But now I know.

Suddenly, I am astonished what is happening in front of my eyes. I couldn’t believe my own eyes. You alighted on the twig of the big banyan tree. I looked at you all amazed. Then you started to twitter.  But, it was not you! Just a dream.

Sometimes you told me, the adventures that you have faced.  I was just listening to them with widened eyes, those stories were filled with full of adventures, like how you escaped humans traps, how you flew across  valleys & deserts, even in the winter. It was fascinating.

I realized  that you want to make sure that there are nice places to live in this world rather than residing here in Tropics forever. Or may be you are looking for an eternal stop to spend your life.  Perhaps, you are looking for a better partner. A companion who likes adventures like you do and live with him. Because I remember once you mumbled to yourself,

 "Next time when I meet, I tell him the truth, I can’t suffer this way..... I'm such a nice bird… he must pay more attention to me ".

Not only that, I remember  few months back, you came to me with weary feathers all pale looking. You sighed for weeks, didn’t eat much. But I didn’t ask.... because I thought, if I had asked you the reason, you might have got exhausted with my stupid questions. After a few days, you flew away again.

Sometimes.... I also want to fly with you long journeys, although I'm scared. (But you never asked me to come with you). Again, I think... no I must go alone and find my own adventures like you do. But... again, I think... if I also go away...

“Who will be there to welcome you? When you come back after your adventures?"

By Manu Fernando

Title quoted from the poem dreams by Langston Hughes