The Fortress And The Dove

The fortress

Made of glass that cannot break
Not like a heart can break
Or a spirit
But everything is visible to the outside world
Everything you could imagine
Timepieces
Antique furniture
Crystal chandeliers
Original oil paintings
The rooms are silent
Nothing is disturbed
By use or by life
Everything owned
But nothing wanted
Everything expensive
But nothing valued
Everything desired
But nothing loved

The dove

Born naked and alone
A combination of delicate bones and gray fuzz
Shivering in the sunlight
Dreaming of a far off place
Safety
Security
Protection from the winds
And wings to take flight
It’s the only way to escape
Or is it?

Wishing and hoping
In her mind’s eye and in time’s space
Her wings unfold
And off she goes
Into the world
Above and below
Fearless and unafraid
She feels her strength
But not her feet

And so the dove makes the fortress her refuge

Surrounded in luxury
In silence
The beating of her wings echoed only by the beating of her heart
She dreamed of this place
She feels safe
Separate from the outside world
And yet
That world still fills her vision
She can see the sun rise and fall
But not feel the warmth
She can see the flowers sprout and die
And suddenly she realizes

She’s watching life pass her by

The fortress
Made of glass that cannot break
And does not feel like a heart can feel
Pain or happiness or fear or anger
But an occasional vibration from within
It shakes the foundations and causes the walls to tremble
Never constant
But consistent
Unyielding
And to the outside world there is no sound
But the fortress hears
A frantic beating heart
Echoed by a desperate beating of wings
And a thump like a newborn’s kick inside it’s mother’s womb
Leaves a print outlined in blood

But the glass does not break
Not like a body can break
Or a spirit

And the dove
Dreaming of a far off place
She can see the sun rise and fall
But not feel the warmth
Separate from the outside world
Her wings unfold
It’s the only way to escape

Or is it?


- Shirley D. Downie, October 12, 2011