Caged Dead Birds

A couple weeks ago I started dreaming about cages

I didn't think much of it since I've been feeling caged for a while

Then a week ago I dreamed of seeing a bird happily standing on a house plant

Realizing it had escaped its cage I went to see

It was a small cage piled high with bird droppings in the center

and a dead bird or two

Apologizing, I cleaned out the cage and replaced the food and water

Caught the live bird and asked it to please stop pecking me so hard as I tried to help

As I placed my hand with bird into the cage I found it didn't fit

I pulled my hand out and the bird had to hunch over and even then

the door wouldn't close

I couldn't understand

~ ~ ~

Soon after I ran away I started thinking about labels & conformity

Most of the time, the first question anyone asks is 'What do you do?'

When the real question is 'What is your label?'

Mostly, it's just our way of trying to find commonality

starting a conversation

And then we use our preconceptions and try to fit this person into a mental niche

Those who don't ask the question, think it

They will look at someone's external appearance and think

'What is your label?'

By your skin color, race, gender, clothing, your hair, cleanliness, your demeanor,

your possessions, your family & pets, your hobbies or occupation...whatever

judgments are made and filed away in the mental niche

And sometimes we carry this a bit further

We believe so strongly that our way is the right way

that we try to get others to conform to our beliefs, our ways

We bring out the cookie cutter and obliterate the beauty of individuality

We all do it to some degree

Politicians, corporate execs, rock stars, computer programmers,

housewives, doctors, artists, teachers...whatever

 What works for me, must be the right way, so do it this way

And then come my favorite group

The rebels

Those that stand on the sidelines avoiding the cookie cutters

Those that can look upon the conformers and smile

Those that can offer the most to society by introducing new ways

But there is a danger that lurks amongst those that rebel

Those that rebel can't get caught up in being a rebel

because there's a fine line between the rebel and the conformer

 Rebels see the injustices caused by the conformers

In our disgust we begin to push against

We start to fight against whatever it is that is offending us

We erect invisible walls between us and the offender

We will not be changed

And in the process, and without realizing it, we erect more walls

In our determination not to conform

we place ourselves within a cage of our own making

instead of using our passion to foster change

we use it to justify our stubbornness

And just like the conformers

we fail to grow

 ~ ~

And I learned that my dream pointed this out

I left the world of conformity and shed my labels

Only to slip in the rut and conform again by slapping on a label 

of first housewife then artist

 when the reality is I want to be neither

I can be both and much more

 there is no need to choose to be one thing

because someone said so

Just like the bird who didn't fit in the cage

I'm too big for cages anymore

I can balance amongst the conformers and the rebels

I can't change either party

because of a little thing called free will

but I can change myself

and hope that it inspires change in others

~

By the way

perhaps the dead birds in the empty cage represent labels

and the pile of shit...

preconceptions that keep us from stepping into our greatness