“Free as a Bird” (a poem by Ray Lewis)

You were not born a bird, but you were born to be great,

to bring hurricanes to the bright sunshine state,

And rush to the brightest stage

to write your own fable, to fulfill your destiny

So they praised you for plays in the deepest of December,

as you led your herd back south to warmer weather,

They called you their king, bound by purple forever,

but I see a heart, black as raven feathers.

Because you fought and fought, to achieve your main goal,

You silenced your scoffers, you won the great war

but in the war of the streets 2 lives were the marker

and although you won the trophy, you gave your soul

so caged by your actions, with no chance to run away,

you escaped from your bonds, and now you fly free,

you fool a whole nation with the gospel of your beak,

But all I hear is a guilty plea from a raven.

now you roam the skies like an acquitted criminal,

and devour your prey with your ring on your heels,

demanding that the world call you a model and a legend

so that they forget your lies and your past sins.

who am I to judge, just an encouraging critic,

They say it’s half the story, that I’m being cynical

that it’s all just a ploy or a selfish trick,

That is not how you start, but rather how you finish

and it is true that I cannot judge, because I am neither judge nor jury

But in the court of the People, I’ll take it one step further,

‘Cause God knows I’ve been watching, and the bird watcher says the same thing,

“When your company is ravens, it’s nothing but murder.”

by Alexander Camp

I hope that everyone understands that this is an opinion in which I do not pretend to know the exact situation of the murder complaints. I am simply giving an artistic opinion on the circumstances surrounding Ray Lewis’s career and the indictment and involvement in the murders that took place in Tampa Bay, FL in 2000.

I hope you can see this subjectively, no matter how harsh or biased your own opinion may be, because I respect and encourage your thoughts and opinions as much as I would want mine to be respected and considered. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the poem.