What I Don’t Say
By AB
When I say freedom
You hear closing cell doors
When you say freedom
I hear soft cries
What I can’t say is peace of mind
What I mean is sanity
When you say peace
Do you mean paradise?
What I wish I’d told you is be patient
What I want you to know is hope exist
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The poets featured here are currently incarcerated, and many of them are in federal prisons far from home. Your feedback is a valuable source of motivation and connection to the outside community. Post your comments, feedback, and encouragement in the space below the poem. Messages will be passed on directly to the author. Comments may not appear immediately on the site, as our team processes them to mail to the poets.
Beautiful. The words so carefully chosen convey a sense of how each of us own words and ideas differently. I love the final optimism of hope and the juxtaposition of wish and want at the end, going from one level to the next. It seems so confident, sure, and self-reflective yet poignant with the implication of regret, too. Thank you..
AB,
Your thoughtful word choices crafted a beautiful poem. Your poem shows that words have different meanings for all of us because we’ve all been through different situations in life. But, the strong way you ended your poem gives the readers words to take away as a lesson, be patient and keep the faith. I’d love to see more of your writing!
Beautiful, restrained, full of unstated meaning–like a haiku. Keep up the good work and be well.
AB,
Hope does exist. While we may struggle to say what we need to say, due to the gravity of those words I appreciate and respect your struggle of what you didn’t say or don’t say. You can say and speak of freedom, but if freedom isn’t peace of mind, sanity, or paradise then what you don’t say may be what is hurting you less. True freedom entitles you to what you want and what makes you feel free. But if those feelings of freedom are unattainable then maybe it is best to focus on what you say and leave what you don’t say out of your mind. Because if what your freedom is lacking is what your focus is on, you aren’t truly free. You wrote an amazing piece here, I encourage you to continue writing.
This is a beautiful poem and I can tell that you really put thought into each word and each line of the poem. I also like how you are optimistic and positive in this poem even though you are going through a tough time. This poem shows that different words have multiple meanings for different people. Keep writing and keep up the great work!