I saw a little bird today
lost in the food court of the mall.
Watched as it flew in circles
above the heads of the oblivious people
too focused on eating their lunches
to notice
that little, lost bird land in the faux greenery
that lined the area designated for the consumption
of cheap, quickly prepared meals
and that little, lost bird would eye the trays
of the consumers, hoping that a morsel would fall
to the ground, so that it might have the energy it needed
to circle the tables again
repeating the cycle until the people all left,
the stores all closed,
the doors all shut
and that little, lost bird might fly free
down the halls
in the cool air,
in the comforting darkness
and silence of the mall at night,
after all the people had left
and the wild, open air was once again
that little bird’s
to be finally found.