Taking flight

In the jungle of my mind several ideas take flight.
Not one or two but a whole flock.
Rising squawking form the ground they fumble to the sky
Most have not strength at all and fall into mud,
wings beaten to despair upon the ground
But one or two take wing and rise above the rest
Beat frantically upon the still air
Desperate to gain height
Unwieldy in the morning dawn
They rise slowly
Gaining ground the two soar above the tree line
Gain perspective of the forest floor
See the blue sky above
and begin to feel the sun’s rays
warm the feather of their wings.
Then unexpected, a predator swoops
Tasking one in piteous talons
with a burst of broken feathers
Life is torn out in seconds
The remaining bird frightened by the noise, the loss
Wheels away desperate for life for hope
Dipping wings it angles away
Through tree tops seeking shelter
Finding a hidden branch it lands
Covered for the moment by foliage
It pants its chest in exertion
Breathing in and out
Until fear subsides and the call to rise grows
It rises on an updraft
and soars up into bright blue
Fast of wing and true of heart
It climbs beyond predator and fear
Until high among mountain tops
it cries its exaltation.