When I Rise Up

When I rise up above the earth,
And look down on the things that fetter me,
I beat my wings upon the air,
Or tranquil lie,
Surge after surge of potent strength
Like incense comes to me
When I rise up above the earth
And look down upon the things that fetter me.

Credit

This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on February 10, 2018, by the Academy of American Poets.

About this Poem

“When I Rise Up” was published in Bronze: A Book of Verses (B.J. Brimmer Company, 1922).