if you've got wings

There was once this bird
Thin and fast
With wide wings that could block out the sun.
It was a smart bird, hated small talk and frivolous flying
In fact it pretty much hated flying
And preferred resting its wings
And going only where it needed
When it felt the need.

You couldn't call it a loner
But it did prefer sitting alone on a wire
Moving away when disturbed
To avoid the small talk.
Most of the time, it refused invitations to drinks nearby.

It liked the sunset more than the sunrise
And liked to watch children go to school at dawn.

You couldn't call it suicidal
But one day it decided to stop flying forever.
And after crossing an empty field on foot,
It stepped across a pond, getting its feathers wet,
And walked into a fence.
Not knowing it was electrified,
Although a sign did mention it,
In clear red-and-white font.
But birds can't read.

So it lay on the floor,
A mangled heap of black shiny feathers peppered with red reminders,
Breathing in and out slowly
For what seemed like a long time.

The sun had set
The children's bags were ready fort next day school
And a lonely wire swung slowly in the night breeze.

Nobody really missed the lonely bird.
A few heard the story
And shook their heads sadly and vowed to always fly higher
Than the fences of the men down below.