Once there was a boy with a cage instead of heart,

an empty enclosure to capture and keep.

He filled it with birds, rocks, and overheard conversations,

at a loss when it all

brought no meaning to life.

Then one day the door to the cage was left open,

the boy tired of the routine

of bait, wait, and trap.

That’s when a word,

abandoned, neglected,

entered the cage

and wove him a heart.