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“Caged Bird” doesn’t have a fixed meter, which means that the poem is technically an example of free verse. However, Angelou’s use of meter is more intentional and significant than the term “free verse” ordinarily conveys. Of particular significance are the variations in line length. Upon looking at the poem on the page, the reader can immediately see that it contains two stanza forms: a longer stanza with shorter lines (i.e., stanzas 1–3 and 6), and a shorter stanza with longer lines (i.e., stanzas 4–5). The movement Angelou facilitates between short- and long-lined stanzas calls to mind the poem’s broader thematic exploration of confinement and liberty. The sense of confinement evoked by the short-lined stanzas may be felt most powerfully in stanza 2 (lines 8–14):

But a bird / that stalks
down his nar- / row cage
can sel- / dom see through
his bars / of rage
his wings / are clipped / and
his feet / are tied
so he / o-pens / his throat / to sing.

Each line in this stanza is confined to just two stressed syllables, the only exception being the last line, which has three. The underlying rhythm of these lines is the da-DUM rhythm of iambic meter, though Angelou also frequently diverges from this meter. Perhaps most notable is the introduction of anapests (unstressed–unstressed–stressed). The use of three-syllable feet in such short lines creates a powerful tension between constraint and the desire for freedom.

Whereas stanzas 1–3 and 6 all have shorter lines that reflect the caged bird’s experience of constraint, stanzas 4–5 have longer lines that evoke the caged bird’s desire for freedom. As an example, consider stanza 4 (lines 23–26):

The free / bird thinks / of a-noth- / er breeze
and the trade / winds soft / through the sigh- / ing trees
and the fat / worms wait- / ing on / a dawn / bright lawn
and he names / the sky / his own.

Once again, these lines demonstrate an underlying iambic rhythm with the frequent introduction of three-syllable anapests. What’s different, though, is that the lines in this stanza are twice as long as those in the short-line stanzas. Barring the final line, which has three stressed syllables, the other three lines in the stanza have four main stresses instead of just two. By doubling the average line length, Angelou creates a subtle impression of spaciousness and liberty. After the confinement of the first three stanzas, stanzas 4 and 5 produce a feeling of expansiveness. But of course, the caged bird ultimately remains in his cage. As such, the poem concludes by returning to the short-line stanza form, reaffirming the confinement and constraint that define the caged bird’s current reality.

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