PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

I am grateful for my understanding of freedom…

I’m not sure when or how long ago 

this seed in me was planted

that we are meant to take advantage…

to enjoy our freedom

never taking it for granted.

May we be blessed to understand…

freedom needs to be more than just another word…

we use haphazardly….

It comes with a significant value…

an expensive cost…

the price of freedom is responsibility…

without it…freedom will be lost.

Today we celebrate our Veterans, it’s a day to formally address

and thank the veterans for the freedoms we Americans possess. 

Our veterans are inextricably linked with our freedom…

ensuring our freedom is what all Veteran’s do

If you have ever doubted this…let me spell it out for you.

Freedom should be VALUED in this or any land

It is the right of every individual...something to demand.

Freedom, true freedom, when all is said and done

is not meant for just a few…it is meant for EVERYONE.

Freedom should be TREASURED and universally embraced…

It should never be taken for granted…dishonored or erased.

Freedom, as Abe Lincoln knew, is the last best hope on EARTH

It is one of the dreams we we pray for at the bedside of each birth.

Freedom must RADIATE from each of us, it’s a song the world must sing

from every church bell in the land…freedom should always ring.

Freedom derives from ACTION and should be the goal of you and me

that our actions help every person in this world say with confidence, “I am free.”

And though many of us in this country know freedom and feel blessed

we must remember NONE of us is truly free when others are oppressed.

Finally freedom is SPIRITUAL, it truly make a person whole

 when the freedom in their heart matches the freedom in their soul.

But once our veteran’s ensure our freedom…once our freedom has been gained

It’s up to us to honor them…to show their fight was not in vain.

Because freedom hangs by a tenuous thread…as many with freedom have forgot…

and either everyone on Earth is free…or everyone is not.

So we pray for the day people everywhere will come and go as they please

that they’ll be afforded the ability to travel around the world with ease.

And as we honor and thank our Veterans today…

we pray for the day we will see

A world where everyone in every corner of this planet

is safe…secure…and free

 Our national anthem ends with the words…

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave…

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

When I was young I thought the brave meant only the men and women

who fought to keep us free…

but over the years I’ve come to see their are many sides to bravery. 

Certainly soldiers… our respect and admiration they have earned

for their bravery on the battlefield

and for facing the demons of war that remain with them after they return.

But when I look around…I wish we’d find a way

to honor the non-soldiers out there who exhibit bravery every day…

People who need to be brave in the world the way we have created it to be:

The single parent working two jobs to provide for their family.

The people battling ALS, Alzheimer’s, cancer, MS, depression

and the family members taking care of them…standing by their side.

knowing there is nothing they can do as they watch their loved ones slide.

The farmers losing their farms…the people losing their jobs…their ability to earn

Those out there without health care…or insurance…with no place they can turn. 

Native Nations people trying to hold on to their culture and their history.

People of color who every day brave the uncertainty 

of those prejudiced against them…in our society.

Immigrants or people who look like immigrants…

some of the nicest people you could meet…

wondering if today’s the day they will be arrested…pulled off of of our streets. 

LGBTQ+ people who brave the abuse of ignorance 

and still proudly show the world who they are.

I’m sure I have missed some of you…but…you know who you are.

To all the soldiers past and present…thank you…I’m glad you were and are so brave.

Your bravery has allowed our star-spangled banner to wave…

And to all the others mentioned…you wouldn’t have a need for bravery…

If we were a country that helped each other…

If we were truly the land of the free.

Today I’m grateful for Nelson Mandela…

Who understood when all is said and done…

the main purpose of freedom

is to create it for everyone

May we be blessed to understand and accept…

Without anger, prejudice or fear

That freedom, as George Orwell said, is the right to tell people

what they do not want to hear.