A Few Views On Freedom

(16 of 30)

"Free as a bird"

or so they say

but I don't think of it

that way

they free to 

        be rained on

        have their eggs crushed

        trees cut down

        nests knocked from their firm grasp on

                     porch light

                     garage joist

                     light housing in the barn

they cannot go to concerts

perch on a bench at the Met to contemplate Corbet

and the Woman with the Parrot

Freedom carries with it weights and balances

free flight on a windy day

for the right to have their homes taken away

Seems like that words

so symbolic of "freedom" 

come with a heavy price to pay

(17 of 30)

"What I wouldn't give for 

an ounce of their energy"

she says with a sigh of age, 

gravity borne wrinkles,

pew leaning grace

Would you give away

    the timing & entrees of meals each day

    the clothes you choose

    the moral bar you jump over

    the subjects of study that occupy your day

 Indeed

   they have no bills to pay

   their house is on another's pocketbook 

   their laundry spins by another's hands

Yet and all

Trades are made

Ground is gain

And lost

We each have our own sources of energy

some run hot and quick 

               like

                   lightning come to ground 

some run long like the house furnace

that warms and cools and runs 

                                all through the night