The statement appears in the fourth stanza of Angelou's poem "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," where she contrasts a caged bird's circumstances with that of a free bird. It can find food at any door, as indicated by 'dawn light lawn,' a dense imagery depicting all the boundless possibilities of a free bird. Angelou wrote several poems while in prison for assaulting a white police officer. She published these poems after her release from jail.