Josselyn Sorto
Ms.Campagna
AP English Literature
5 March 2013
God’s Flight
By Heather Flood
On the ground sits a bird
that’s too afraid to fly.
Beautiful wings could make it soar,
but the pain of past failure is it’s lonesome cry.
God has said unto this bird,
“Trust and have faith in me,
for I will carry you in your flight.
The miracle of life is waiting for you to see.”
The bird said to God, “But I can’t fly.
I am weak. I will fall and feel pain
It’s happened before when I tried to fly.
I’m afraid of being hurt again.”
His voice soft and reassuring, God said to the bird,
I created you, and I will protect you.
Your lonesome cry I have heard.
Have faith in me. That’s all you need to do.
So, stand up, bird, and spread your wings.
The wings I lovingly created to let you fly.
If you fall I’ll pick you up,
and lift you back into the sky.”
With trembling legs and unsure wings
the bird finally looked to the sky.
It took a deep breath, and took the chance.
The bird began to fly.
“Thank you, God, for believing in me.
Thank you for giving me wings.
Thank you for your protecting hands.
Your glory I will now sing.”
God smiled unto the bird
in its majestic flight.
“Little bird, I’ll always be with you,
and will protect you with all my might.
You may stumble. You may fall.
That doesn’t mean that I don’t care.
I will watch over you, in case you need help,
and then I’ll be right there.”
The little bird, once so scared,
learned to soar to new heights.
The occasional fall no longer scared the bird,
choosing to have faith in God’s flight.
1. Literal Content
This poem reveals a bird’s struggle with flying based on past experiences. These past
experiences range from fear to hopelessness. God finally comforts the bird, comes and
picks him up from his struggles. God gives the bird hope and helps his faith become
stronger.
2. Summarize
On the ground sits a bird that cant fly because his past experiences filled with pain
prevent him so. God said to the bird to have faith in Him, for He will help the bird out.
The bird tells God how weak and painful it might be to flu. The fear from hurting
prevents him from flying. God picks the bird up with words of comfort and wisdom. The
bird finally stands up and places his fears, pain and experiences in the past. The bird flies
to new heights. For God gave him hope and believed in him; for He was the creator of the
little bird.
3. Purpose/Theme
This poem is used to illustrate the struggles and pain that people go through that stop
them from moving on and finally being happy. The struggles and pain in life shouldn’t be
a reason to fear the unknown in the future. The poem tells the reader to not fear, for there
are greater things to come, for if you put your faith in God things will work out for the
good.
4. Tone
The tone of the poem in the first stanza is aggravated, because the bird can’t fly due to his
fears and failures in past experiences. From the second to the tenth stanza the tone is
encouraging, calm and hopeful tone. God tells the bird that even with all the pain that he
has been through; he is still strong enough to fly and challenge himself into going to new
heights.
5. Diction
The author’s diction is ordinary, casual, plain and simple. It does not possess any abstract
language. The poem flows easily with the author choice of words.
6. Figurative Language
Personification: “Lonesome cry” a cry can’t be lonely.
Alliteration: “So, stand up, bird, and spread your wings.” The letter s, is repeated three
times.
7. Structure
The poem has ten four-line stanzas. It has an “ABCB” rhyming pattern. In the poem the
rhyme scheme “ABCB”, the second line rhymes with the fourth line, but the first and
third lines don’t rhyme with each other.