What Is To Be Free
By CS
To be free is to dream
And to think about all of
Life’s possibilities.
To be free is to soar
Through the air to the
Greatest heights like an eagle.
To be free is to move
Like water through mountains’ tops
And streams with no resistances
To be free is to fight for
Equal justice, rights, respect
This is what it means
to be free…
21 Comments
Leave a Comment
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.
This is such a well thought-out poem! The poem unravels in layers first going from general to the air, to the water then back to your beliefs. You really structured the poem well. I like how you break up your lines too. It adds complexity to the poem. At last, you left readers with a pending ending with “…” which is very effective cuz being free has endless possibilities right?!
I really enjoyed reading this poem. Freedom has so many perspectives and definitions and I like how you showed that through your words. I believe that the most important viewpoint of freedom is mentally. As long as you are mentally free, I believe you can accomplish anything. On the other hand, even if you are physically free, if your mind is still caged, you will be stuck in the same place. I wish you all the best.
Dear CS,
What a fine anthem to freedom! Such a pleasure to read your natural imagery. You are showing how a free mind soars within the walls.
Best, Ann
CS,
I really like your repetition of “To be free.” I think it really ties the whole poem together.
I think your use of metaphors like using the eagle and water/ mountain tops really helps show the message you are trying to get across and adds a little more to the poem
Hi!
I enjoyed reading your poem. I could visualize what you were saying, it painted a picture in my head. Keep up the good writing:)
-Shelby
I like this poem because it uses imagery to show its readers the true meaning for freedom. In addition, instead of just giving a definition of freedom, I really like how it gives many examples of freedom and leaves the meaning of it up for interpretation.The poem also uses small vocabulary and it makes it easy to understand.
This is the poem I really love because of its powerful message. “To be free is to fight for equal justice, rights, respect”. A very inspiring line to remind us both the meaning and the value of freedom, and how to manifest it. We know and treasure how beautiful freedom is when we live in it, and we yearn deep for it when we are not living in it. Each of us as individuals want freedom in life, and we collectively desire it in our society. Because this is our human nature. We are born to live free, and we have the duty to make sure others live as free or more free than we are. It is both our rights and our purpose in this society. There is no sweeter thing on earth than freedom.
Your concise yet powerful verses beautifully capture the essence of freedom. They reflect the multifaceted nature of liberty – the freedom to dream, to explore life’s endless possibilities, to soar like an eagle, and to flow effortlessly like water through mountains and streams. The inclusion of the fight for equal justice, rights, and respect adds a crucial societal dimension to the concept of freedom. Your words eloquently convey the depth and richness of what it truly means to be free, reminding us of the profound significance of freedom in its various forms.
CS, your tempo work in this piece is subtle, yet it holds this poem together in a way that keeps a solid beat. Your poem would be a fantastic first verse to a great song.
I love the similes and metaphors you used to convey your thoughts. You touched on many different important points. You did a great job getting your message across to the reader! Can’t wait to read your next poem!
CS,
I appreciate your envisioned ideal of freedom, and I believe the greater majority take for granted the joys associated with it. For me, I have always found freedom to be multifaceted, and mostly centered around the idea of autonomy, liberty, justice, and equality, several of these themes were very well covered in your poem, and I enjoyed reflecting on it.
Loved the different use of word in this work. Telling us, the reader, what it means to be free to you from a different perspective really shows what you value in life. The things you believe in and the morals that you follow show who you are as a person. Not the actions you do but the way you turn them around and make a bad situation into a better one.
Being free has a lot of different moments, and I myself take granted of the freedom I have quite too often. It takes reading this poem to put my life into perspective. I am a college student, yet I feel so drowned and alone at times, but when I think about how many people dream and would fight to be in the position I am in, it puts into perspective for me and shows me I’m just being ungrateful. The poem was short but impactful. To be free has many different meanings, and there’s a ton of different ways to be free for each individual. I wish you the best, stay safe, all love.
Hello CS,
Your poem is great! I love the imagery you used when you described that being free is to soar. The water and streams on mountains tops was also another great use of imagery. You have a great way of putting emotion into your writing and it all feels so pure and honest. Thank you for sharing your work!
It vividly captures the essence of independence, offering a sense of liberation that inspires us to cherish our freedom and embrace life’s endless possibilities.
People take this for granted. Loved reading this!
Being free is hard no matter what. In a way everyone is shackled to something, but being able to see how you can change and possibly earn your freedom is always a wonderful goal to have. Depending on what it is, it might be harder or easier than others, but no matter what just remember that you will make it out.
I really enjoyed reading this poem since I found it had a rhythmic flow between each of the stanzas. The repetition of the phrase “to be free” reminds the reader that there are multiple aspects to freedom. What particularly stood out to me was at the end, when freedom is tied into the fight for justice. I was reminded that freedom itself comes with fighting and serving others who might be disrespected/harmed. This left me with something impactful to digest after finishing the poem!
This poem focuses on the author’s idea of what freedom is. To him, being free includes not only physical freedom to move around and choose where you go, but also mental freedom to advocate for what you believe in. The lines, “To be free is to fight for/ Equal justice, rights, respect,” are especially touching because it shows how the author would use his freedom to help others.
I like how this poem compares the feeling of being free to a different part of nature in each stanza. The comparison of freedom to a soaring eagle or falling water is a liberating thought and it captures the exact feeling quite well. The imagery allows me to feel what the poet considers as freedom, and I appreciate this insight and descriptiveness.
This is an accurate description of freedom!