The Sparrow

The sparrow with the broken wing
lies silent on the ground.
He hopes that if he's still enough
no one will come around.

His hopes remain fulfilled,
it seems, for quite a bit,
when in the dark of morning
a single match is lit.

A woman's intuition,
she knows that something's wrong.
Usually she hears the birds
sing their sunrise song.

In the quiet of dark morning,
she walks past his hiding spot.
She figures nothing's in the gutter,
when in fact, there's quite a lot.

The sparrow's breathing shallows now
while his wing is breathing fire.
And in the midst of growing pain,
his body starts to tire.

The sparrow with the broken wing
lies silent on the ground.
He knows that if he's still enough,
no one will come around.