Free Spirit

I wrote this piece to a tune for a school multimedia project, so you may have to get a little creative in your rhythm as you read it. Not sure how much I like it, but I've decided to share it anyway.

Free Spirit

 

Down, with earthen clay afoot

And a gentle breeze flowing through the tall, tangly trees

I wander through a full and fertile forest,

Braced by the ancient light of the moon,

Lead by the subtle scent of flowers that

Permeates the air like a pale morning mist.

I judge my distance by the entrancing smell,

Sensing that as it grows stronger,

The lordly laws of property fade

And I belong to nature once again...

 

Free Spirit bear, brawny and bold

With your white coat and your ears of gold

And your eyes as grey as the dawn

With your loping and swaying grace, move along.

 

Free Spirit bear, paws so broad

Falling soft as snow into the rain-softened sod

I will follow your star until the dawn

We will slope over veins of gold (through your veins of gold), move along.

 

Free Spirit bear, lissome and pure

All of time or just a moment you’ve endured.

Swift as lightning or sheepishly subdued

At the heart of all that’s golden is you, out of view, move along.

But they could come, with machines and guns, and take you away

For protection, for spectacle, for pay

To spend your life in the city, in a cage

To be handed your food on a tray, through the bars, thrice a day

Put on a show, bear!

Dance to and fro, bear!

Forget your home, bear; forget your home bear...

People, form a line and move along!

 

But bear, that’s just a nightmare in a dream

Free Spirit bear! Outlined in gold against the morning beams

The forest is your home. The world is yours to roam.

Be proud that your coat is your own and move along.

 

(The freest spirits cannot be contained.)

 

... Free Spirit, stay with me.

But bear, be free!

Free Spirit bear, wander.

I’ll follow your star once again

When I next wake to the night

 

Would but my sorrow allow me to wake

Or my happiness at seeing you

Author's Note

I'd just appreciate opinions, really. I'd love to hear interpretations on the meaning of this poem!

Reviews

[Dr. Wood ?]

I am lousy at interpretations but this is tremendous....To get your inspiration down onto a page like this is highly commendable. Do not stop writing. You could also give me your interpretation...I was thinking Nature itself was the subject...It is most certainly on the run from man...Globally

[Brent]

Thanks, you're very kind! You're on the right track with the natural theme, however you may have missed the 'dream' aspect of the poem. For me, it's more about escaping from reality, humanity, stress, and in other words daily life, to something more serene. I used a wandering dream-bear in the poem to try and illustrate the freedom of both nature and dreams in one subject. The bear itself doesn't symbolize a whole lot; I just wanted an animal that could be considered a 'free spirit'. The poem also touches on freedom from the societal pressures of conformity, especially in the line, "Be proud that your coat is your own...". The whole thing centralizes about the idea of freedom, basically.

PS: Sorry, my response was a little rushed. I'm hoping I haven't left out anything important. If you have any other questions about the meaning, feel free to ask. c: -- I would however like to keep the poem open to interpretation, so I don't want to dissect each individual line.

[~LadyWolf~]

Brent, I love this poem!! This poem, I think is about a wonderful dream get away, a get away from reality. With no worries or cares of other people and their thoughs. Excellent job :)

[Brent]

That's pretty much the intended meaning, yeah. ;) -- Thanks!

[~LadyWolf~]

I hope you have started the poem about thunder and lightning! I have mine done about flowers :) Keep up the awesome writing!