Sympathy (an excerpt)

Sympathy (an excerpt)

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
   When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
   But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—
I know why the caged bird sings!

From The Collected Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, edited by Joanne M. Braxton. Published by University of Virginia Press. 
Sponsored by Barnes & Noble Booksellers.
New York City Transit Going your way.