The Dream of Freedom

 

Freedom, the long forgotten dream,          
Do you remember?
Shining in the morning, just a distant gleam,
What was it that you wanted,
And are you as you seem?

Is it you that lost it, careless in your ways,
Or was it everyone
A sacrifice freely given, to make for better days,
Was it worth it?
And are we better off now, here in this modern haze?

What is the price of freedom, dream though it may be?
Security and comfort,
That is the question isn’t it? so now we start to see,
Subtly it happens,
We lose our dreams of freedom, and join society.

But is that the way it is, or just what we’ve been told?
Who made those rules,
Do we have to sell our freedom, for another person’s gold?
Why?
Society gives no security,  and its gilt is chipped and old.

But the world is much the same, as when we turned our eyes,
Downward,
There are still the forests, rivers, deserts, seas, and skies,
Reminders,
That freedom's just forgotten and maybe plagued with lies.

Don’t we all still see it, in the morning light?
Hope
Don’t we all still feel it, as evening turns to night?
Peace
Don’t let freedom be forgotten, it’s not to sell for comfort,
It is our human right.

Janet Doyle, hellopoetry.com, August 2020