Roots or Freedom

He could not see the future
He wanted not the past
The bonds that hold him to the earth
Eternally will last

The roots of life run deep
Sustaining what he knows
Supporting him in times of need
And watching as he grows

He cannot live without them
And with them he will die
They hold him firmly to the earth
When he was born to fly

The one advantage given
Was broken at his birth
The wings that should be flying
Can have no earthly worth

Wind calls his heart to soar
To climb above the clouds
Roots and earth bind him to the ground
Alone among the crowds

Ever slowly healing wings
Grow stronger every day
His struggle taking shape within
It will not go away

Envy glows upon his face--
And daily it has grown--
Of steam that rises freely up
The sky its only home

A day will come when fighting
Internal, raw, and sore
Will no longer wage within him
He will be no more

He could not see the future
He wanted not the past
The bonds that held him to the earth
Have claimed his life at last