A Thing Called Freedom
09 May 2019
EMILY KENDI | Crocodile Prize | An entry in the
Abt Associates Award for Women’s Literature
A thing called freedom.
Oh, what a thing of beauty,
To win and to prize more highly than fame or wealth -
A thing called freedom.
Oh, what a thing of beauty,
The forces of destiny in all generosity look upon you –
A thing called favour.
Oh, what a thing of beauty,
To take up my pen and slay my fears with a single stroke -
A thing called euphoria.
Yes, what a thing of beauty,
The freedom of mind and of heart.
Freedom to follow your dreams is beauty.
To wade within the loneliness of my soul
and find hope
To tread the fallow soil of my being
and find fullness
To hide inside the chambers of my heart (possessed by anguish and undefinable sadness)
and find solace
To cower before my own rage
and find courage and passion
For this is who I am,
And the woman that I am
And upon this I stand firm,
And would rather cry alone.
Yes, that long verse is good in its full expression.
And also a good technique following on from shorter verses and ending short - the expansion feels welcome in the reading.
Posted by: Michael Dom | 02 December 2019 at 11:31 AM
We're starting to see a real maturity in the poetry being entered in the Crocodile Prize competition this year. Some of the imagery is really stunning.
I particularly like the long sixth verse of this one.
Congratulations Emily on a very fine effort.
Posted by: Philip Fitzpatrick | 09 May 2019 at 09:08 AM