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Join Peter White Public Library in celebrating reading, literature, and the diverse people who make up our home in the Upper Peninsula.

March 19, 2025: Andrew Ciupak, "A Gentle Songbird"


A Gentle Songbird

by: Andrew Ciupak

A gentle songbird, white and pristine,
Perched contently in a cage of gold.
Soft brown eyes, glowing with empathy,
Her heart sings of love- pure and serene.
Listen--the songs never grow old.

She sways with joy in gilded chains,
Merry within her quiet reign.
Yet when the first snow starts to fall,
She knows she must go—must travel far.

Fluttering free, light as a fairy,
To sunlit shores where palm trees stand tall.
Her keeper watches, silent, still—
Face as pale as winter’s chill.

The plows grind on, and the sky turns gray.
Ice spreads, and life gives way.
The world holds its breath, frozen in wait,
Until one day…

The songbird returns, with flowers and warmth,
The bracelet shining at her slender wings.
She steps on her keeper’s open hand,
Singing her song, soft and bright.

She flutters, she dances- to a waiting smile.
The sun burns brighter, the frost melts away.
She heals the wounds, as if she was never gone.

A story of letting go, setting love free.



Andrew Ciupak, 15, is a sophomore at Negaunee High School. He enjoys electronics, deep thinking, and spending time with his beloved dog, Kodiak.  He is a Yooper.

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