Cagebird wrote 100 songs, but couldn't bring herself to sing them in front of anyone. She tried and tried, but she just couldn't. Most days, her voice didn't work properly. On the rare days it did, the stares of the people terrified her into silence. She got older and older and soon became afraid that she would die without any of her songs being heard. They were trapped inside her, and when she died, so would they.
One day, Cagebird was approached by a young lady, Lucille. Lucille saw the many lyric sheets and musical scores that surrounded Cagebird. "Are these your songs?" she asked. Cagebird nodded. Lucille explained that she loved to sing but was a terrible songwriter who could never come up with any original ideas. She asked if she could perform one of Cagebird's songs. Cagebird nearly died from the emotional rush that request gave her.
For the next couple of months, Lucille would stand on the streets performing Cagebird's songs. Eventually, she was given the offer to perform in a show. From there, she travelled from city to city, performing at increasingly large venues. Cagebird was still in the same place as ever. She didn't get much attention, as she opted to have all the songs she wrote credited with a pseudonym. Even though she didn't want direct attention, her heart ached.
When Lucille next returned to Cagebird, Cagebird said, "You are so far away. My songs do not feel like mine anymore. When you perform them in other cities, I cannot hear them. I must become part of you. I want to live through you. When you sing, I will feel as if I have sung. The space between my brain and your mouth, the space between my hands and your throat, that is where our collective soul will be."
From then on, Lucille took Cagebird everywhere with her. They merged into one entity. The art became the artist, and the artist became the art. They were one and the same.
