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.
Portugal’s highly-anticipated, record-breaking suspension bridge opened to the public late April with steel-nerved adventurers making the first wobbly treks across. The new 516 Arouca Bridge (in the town of Arouca, about an hour’s drive away from Porto) opened to adventurous locals last week. The bridge is staking its claim as the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge, and it also happens to be one of the most terrifying.
The bridge is a 1,693-foot (about a half-kilometer) narrow, steel pathway suspended between towers more than 570 feet above the fast-flowing Paiva River. The trek across takes anywhere from five to 10 minutes — and is not for the faint of heart. The bridge wobbles a bit with each step and has vertiginous canyon views.
Getty Images/AFP/Carlos Costa
The current Guinness World Record-holder for longest pedestrian suspension bridge is the Kokonoe Yume Bridge in Japan, which spans 1,280 feet. However, the Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge, which opened in Switzerland in 2017, measures longer at 1,621 feet, according to The Associated Press.
“There were many challenges that we had to overcome… but we did it,” Margarida Belem, the mayor of Arouca, told Reuters at the opening last week. “There’s no other bridge like this one in the world.” The bridge is part of the small town’s long-term plan to attract more visitors and new residents to the region. The Arouca Bridge is now open to all travelers, with tickets available online from about $12 to $14.