I see the birds of the sun,
like empty cages they call to me,
in their absence I find stability,
for what is there to find but loneliness in a world as blocked as mine.
I see the birds of the sky,
how their wings are now louder than planes,
in their noise I find reassurance,
I have not seen the wits of my peers, and yet I am blessed with theirs.
I see an empty road and I remember progression,
I know it to be an illusion
but it is a temptation of a quieter world than I see now.
I see.
I see broken promises on the news,
witness carelessness,
I feel.
I feel emptiness in a cage created by something unseen.
It is this hidden devil I curse every night when I go to sleep,
in its claws I find the strength of disregarded keys
and the abandonment of speaking words of goodbye to a screen.
I don’t see the birds of the ground,
but in time
many more will.
I see.
I feel.
Yuval Arbel is a 21 and currently completing a Ba (Hons) in English and Creative Writing at the University of Lincoln. She says she plans to advance on to complete an MPhil and PhD to become a Professor of English.
When she isn’t spending her time in her university residence, she lives back home in Wokingham with her family and two (slightly spoiled) dogs. Yuval has been published 16 times and says she has uses her platform as a poet to raise awareness for social and political issues.
