Why Am I trapped?

This morning parent quails were here with their adolescents. One happened to find its way into the outdoor dog pen that I use not for the dog but for the grass seedlings  needing protection from the dog. The grass seeds and the new sprouts must have been quite enticing to the young quail. It entered the pen where a slight opening had been left accidentally. Its eyes and mind so transfixed on the grass seeds that it must have not payed attention to its way in. Now at the other end of the pen, seeing the rest of the family walk away, it panicked and started pacing back and forth along the panels, looking for a gap large enough to squeeze its chubby round body through. 
I sat in the patio, watching this young bird learn its way around in this world.  I was hoping it will find its way out of the panic state soon. 

The pen has panels that are 30” tall. That’s it. There is nothing on top. It is open, nothing in between the quail and clear blue sky. And yet it was trapped. The enclosure was created by its own panic state. 

The rest of the family had walked away to the other end of the garden. Pacing in the pen continued.  I left briefly to attend to something indoors and when I returned I found the pen empty. I wanted to witness the moment it figured its way out.  Sudden sound and sight of its family taking wing must have snapped it out of its mental entrapment, making the clear sky visible again. 

Temptation to get the seeds had erased the memory of the path it took in. Panic state triggered by the metal bars in front of it erased the memory of being born with wings. Sight of family walking away and fear of being left behind, blocked the view of open sky above. And In just fraction of a second clarity was back again.  Hold on to that moment of clarity little bird and stretch it so it never ends.

I imagine the discussions the quail family would have as they lazily lounge under the shade of a bush this afternoon.

“It is a cursed dog pen” 

“You found out the hard way but thankfully, you escaped”. 

“No wonder they never let the dog enter the pen that is supposed to be his”. 

“Can you imagine if ever the poor dog got in? He can’t even fly”