A poignant and evocative ballad about a songbird, by Soumya, is about the virtues and vice of nature. An allegory for Different Truths.

The songbird trilled happily in the forest
Her melodies were pleasant and true
Her plumage was a feast for the eyes
The rainbow would be jealous of her hue
She could mimic all animals in the forest
Her music was healing for the soul
Her chirping would keep everyone happy
And make a hurt animal quite whole
 
In the dark undergrowth of the forest
Lived the vile vipers and pests
They couldn’t bide all this happiness
And kept smouldering in their nests
They plotted on how to kill the songbird
Or at least silence her song

So, they invited the hunter to the forest
And did the lovely songbird much wrong
The hunter wished to pluck the birds plumage
To decorate the king’s headdress
Or to make a trophy of the songbird
To be stuffed and mounted in the mess
Or eat the flesh of the songbird
Roasted or grilled on the flame
Or keep the songbird in a cage
So, the music would bring the hunter fame

Now the poor songbird had to hide
No one heard her music anymore
She had to cover her plumage
In dark leaves no one would adore
The songbirds happy chatter was silenced
Thus, none in the forest would heal
For the laughter and the music was missing
Which was the vile pests ideal.

Fear cannot make anything better
A caged songbird cannot sing
A dead songbird isn’t pretty
We need to understand this thing
All the denizens of the forest
Are waiting for the hunter to go
And for happiness to return to the forest
And end this whole story of woe

Songbird, please become a Phoenix
And blaze all the vipers to hell
Drive the vile hunter from the forest
And bring back the joy in our dell.

Visual by Different Truths

Soumya Mukherjee

Soumya Mukherjee is an alumnus of St Stephens College and Delhi School of Economics. He earns his daily bread by working for a PSU Insurance company, and lectures for peanuts. His other passions, family, friends, films, travel, food, trekking, wildlife, music, theater, and occasionally, writing. He has been published in many national newspapers of repute. He has published his first novel, Memories, a novella, hopefully, the first of his many books. He blogs as well.

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