Quiet Freedom

Short poem about a former slave overlooking a cemetery.

She stood upon the hill
Looking toward new neighbors
Thinking back amongst her past
Hardships, toils and labors.

Things had been unbearable
When she was a mere slave
She had longed for better life
Quiet freedom she did crave.

The world was black and white
In those oh so bitter days
Gritted teeth and faith in God
Helped endure the come what may.

Now this lonely piece of land
Is quite a different shade
As people of all color
Lay within their graves.

Author's Note

Please give an overall review on this short poem. Thank you!

Reviews

[Jyoti_Ablaze]

Wow! Poignant and touching!
Slavery and racism are that prevalent parasites living on humanity that will consume everything living and deteriorate the soul.
Beautifully penned Melissa, I felt the vivid imagery with the pang of sadness.
Lovely write..!

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you, Jyoti!

[Jyoti_Ablaze]

You are welcome!

[emmajoy]

There are so many emotions wrapped in this poem! Had to read twice to realise how you've included lack of dignity, intolerance, tolerance, respect, love, empathy, regret.. and more. A writer should feel to h, albeit in sometimes fictional themes. But here you've been self.. am pretty sure of that. Walking through history is how i think of wandering graveyards.. and sometimes, the lessons learned are heart-stopping - they remind you of the lack of - and the discovery of - what it is to be a frail human being in a society that's still learning how to be human. Oops , over.did .. but genuinely feel your words.. and respect them . Thank you.

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you for reading and commenting, emmajoy. I appreciate it.

[emmajoy]

Although such a sad theme, was/is my pleasure.

[MelissaAndres]

Yes, I wish people of all colors, in all stages of life could see that our differences with one another should just be set aside.

[emmajoy]

One day perhaps - when we realise that's why we're ALL walking this planet?

[MelissaAndres]

Very true, emmajoy!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

wow, this is so nicely expressed, you put yourself deftly into the eyes and heart of the speaker...

yes, we are all the same when we are born, and we will all be the same when we die: Human Beings.

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you so much for your kind words! I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for reading and commenting.

[1VJ]

It's a haunting piece of a life never realizing its full potential. We're all the same color dust after all is said and done. Really effective imagery too.

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you, Paloma. I am glad you enjoyed this. I wish the world would realize things like this. There are good an bad people on this earth - skin color has nothing at all to do with it.

[1VJ]

Unfortunately, bigotry is instilled in most people at a very young age, one day the world will be all one color. My pleasure.

[MelissaAndres]

True. I believe bigotry is not something you are born with, it is taught. Even if you don't specifically teach your children prejudices, children pick up what they see and hear and pass it on. So sad.

[Kamlesh]

Hi Mel....very deep, poignant piece. Liked it .
Very well described and you got to read it to the end to feel the freedom that you are referring to.
Good.Bravo...me

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you, Kamlesh. I am glad that you liked this. Thank you so much for your kind comments!

[Insight "MH"]

"From dust we are, to dust we'll be".
I also love the last part.

Thank you for this marvelous piece.

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you, Insight! I am glad you liked this. Thank you for your nice comment.

[Insight "MH"]

The pleasure is mine.

[MelissaAndres]

You are very kind.

[Samuel Dickens]

Cemeteries are serene places of many voices, and I've often walked among the tombstones, saying "hello" and speaking their names. Some of my ancestors were slave owners while others were slaves, so my spirit fits right into this poem.

[MelissaAndres]

My daughter-in-law's father is a funeral director and, although he is a very nice man, he is also a very strange man. I guess you would be in that line of work. Cemeteries give me the heebie-jeebies but there is also a lot of history there if you peruse the headstones. I have done that a time or two and wonder about the person's history and what they did in the "dash" between the dates.

[A. Amos]

Love the essence of poem and the last line was awesome...

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you so much! I appreciate you reading and commenting.

[Beccy]

Agree totally, colour, race, creed, should matter not, that it does is the indictment.


Beccy.

[MelissaAndres]

True. If we all looked at each others' hearts I believe this world would be a much better place.

[Beccy]

A quiet and well written reflection on a difficult subject. 'The world was black and white,' stands out as an indictment of all that was wrong, (and I do not in any way point the finger at a particular nation,) in a time when fellow humans were seen as no more than a trading commodity.

We have moved on of course, but still, even in these so-called modern times, such evil, though illegal, still abounds, and though, as you say, people of all colour now lay within their graves, this world is still an inequitable place.

An excellent poem.

Beccy.

[MelissaAndres]

Thank you, Beccy. I appreciate your kind comments. With the way the world is, still, I just wanted to show that skin color and many other things shouldn't matter. We are all the same in as we hurt, we love, we smile, we die. Why can't we all get along? This world definitely needs changing. Perhaps, one day, it will.