Caged Bird
By Maya AngelouThe free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wings in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with fearful trill of the things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom
The free bird thinks of another breeze and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn and he names the sky his own.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.
Our hearts have been stolen since the start of ‘The Bachelor’ on March 25, 2002. Just having wrapped up its 23rd season, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the most recent loves and love-not’s. ‘The Bachelor’ nation first met Colton Underwood during season 14 of ‘The Bachelorette.’ He aimed for Bachelorette Becca Kufrin’s heart. Even though all of Bachelor Nation fell in love with the former NFL player, Becca did not. After a summer of growth and reflection, Colton came back ready to give love another shot.
If you were rooting for Colton to finally find love, you were sadly disappointed after the season 23 finale. Colton did not get down on one knee to propose making him the ninth bachelor to not propose. Brad Womack left the show single, and the other seven chose to keep dating the winner without proposing marriage. Seems smart.
The thing is, Colton has been saying from his first appearance on the show that his end game was to get married. That’s what he had been saying all season long. He even had some drama concerning women who “weren’t ready” for that kind of commitment. Before the finale, he said, “I’m willing to do anything and everything, because that’s how much I love Cassie.” He said that he understood Cassie wants to take their relationship at a slower pace. Colton said to Cassie, “I’m not sitting here asking for marriage at the end of this. I’m sitting here asking for a second chance to take it day by day and figure it out.”
The world was also more than a little surprised that Cassie was totally game for this turn of events. Not too long ago Cassie told her father she was not sure of her feelings for Colton. She knew she liked him enough but wasn’t sure if it was love. So she left the show.
So where are they now? Colton and Cassie are taking things slow. “We still have a lot of room to grow,” Colton said. “We’re enjoying dating right now, we’re not going to rush anything.” These two move really slow: they aren’t even planning to move in together yet. Colton instead moved to Los Angeles to be just a short drive from Cassie’s hometown of Huntington Beach. They may not be ready to make the promise of a lifetime together. But what they can promise is to spend every day together building their relationship.