And the Voices Cry FREEDOM

ON THIS, THE BIRTHDAY OF A NATION…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Image of bull trampling foes…”

Palette of Narmer (3000 BC)

SCANDAL

Tyrants triumph over the weak, crushing the song… And the voices cry: “FREEDOM!”

 

 “If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.”

Code of Hammurabi (1790 BC)

ABUSES

I don’t want justice… give me revenge… And the voices cry: “FREEDOM!”

 

“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,  making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless..”

The prophet Isaiah 10:1-2 (700 BC)

INDULGENCES

Yet one must feed the fires of power and gluttony with endless souls… And the voices cry: “FREEDOM!”

 

“In peace, before him, we moved around in friendship. By his exalted word, all the kings who sit upon thrones. throughout the world, from the Upper Sea to the Lower Sea, who live in the districts far-off, the kings of the West, who dwell in tents, all of them.”

Cyrus Cylinder (539 BC)

SHAME

Empires of eloquence and endless hunger rape the harmony of treaties…  And the voices cry: “FREEDOM!”

 

“To no one will we sell, or deny, or delay, right or justice. [40}” 

Magna Carta (1215 AD)

OUTRAGE

Oratory rants and raves, justice for the right price… And the voices cry: “FREEDOM!”

 

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The Declaration of Independence (1776 AD)

DISHONOR

We declare democracy for the people… especially those with influence… And the voices cry: “FREEDOM!”

 

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

The New Colossus on the Statue of Liberty (1883 AD)

ARROGANCE

Drive out the renegades and rebels… those who cross our walled borders…  And the voices cry: “FREEDOM!”

 

“All peoples shall be equal; they shall enjoy the same respect and shall have the same rights. Nothing shall justify the domination of a people by another.”

African Banjul Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (1981 AD)

SORROW

And those in power give rhythmic, rhetoric, and hollow rhymes… May every voice in every land cry: "FREEDOM!" forevermore…

Author's Note

SOURCES OF POLITICAL REFERENCES

*Painting by Goya… The Third of May, 1808

*“Image of bull trampling foes…”
Palette of Narmer (considered first political history, circa 3000 BC)

*“If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.”
Code of Hammurabi (1790 BC)

*“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widow their prey and robbing the fatherless..”
The prophet Isaiah 10:1-2 (700 BC)

*“In peace, before him, we mov[ed] around in friendship. [By his] exalted [word], all the kings who sit upon thrones. throughout the world, from the Upper Sea to the Lower Sea, who live in the dis[tricts far-off], the kings of the West, who dwell in tents, all of them.”
Cyrus Cylinder (539 BC)

*“To no one will we sell, or deny, or delay, right or justice. [40}”
Magna Carta (June 15, 1215 AD)

*“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776 AD)

*“Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”
Emma Lazarus (The New Colossus on the Statue of Liberty originally written 1883 AD)

*“All peoples shall be equal; they shall enjoy the same respect and shall have the same rights. Nothing shall justify the domination of a people by another.”
African Banjul Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Adopted June 27, 1981)

Reviews

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

This poem gave me chills and tears my friend. Past to present, aspirations and abominations, so meaningly chronicled. Thank you for the history, the message of freedom yet to be attained by all peoples of the world. Profound. Brilliant. Masterpiece.

[An owl on the moon]

So thankful you found this one, and your words are deeply appreciated. I realize there is so much more that could be added here, but truly hoping for a world with sweet freedom abounding.

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

It is a truly wonderful poem and hopefully will help to raise awareness of how far we still need to go.

[...]

Where's the whimsey?!!! :)) Not just the branches that sway in the breeze, but also the trunk? Very different from all yours I read before! I like it!!!

[Alessander]

very great excerpts...it really does feel like I'm in a time warp seeing these actions by humans through the ages. The irony of course is that the writers who wrote those "creeds" or ideals belonged to a tribe or group that slaughtered the innocent and betrayed their own core beliefs (more or less).

My only suggestion is that there's a huge time gap between Cyrus and The Magna Carta. Maybe put in a little Islam in there around 8th century. Would fit the "world" view and time frame.

Also, the tenets of the Geneva Convention could be a possibility for more modern context.

Anyhow, I have always liked that painting by Goya - There's an article somewhere that describes how influential that painting is called "Goya's Lamp" something or other. Very insightful.

[Pebbles]

I am so impressed this is so creative , take a bow and accept the applause wow true brilliance and wonderful use of quotes ...................you made me feel like i was in a different time frame .... x

[Nobody.]

Great job on this....each quote on our human strife and constant pushes toward betterment, and each b*****d slap from those who could've done more...done better.....they sink to the core, and sit down hard, and demand to be pondered.

And the cry, over and over, for FREEDOM! Resounds in the ears for a thousand lifetimes.

Brilliant!
Cheers!

[OT]

powerful words - brilliant use of quotes - but I'm with dieuxsansculte below - it will fall on deaf ears and deafer minds - freedom is a cage with a shackle - nice!

[dieuxsansculte]

Stirring words, but I'm afraid they will fall on the deaf ears of the rich and powerful who control this world through greed, deceit and subterfuge.

For too long the cry of freedom has been corrupted by those who want freedom for themselves but bondage and slavery for those "others."

I wrote something a few years ago that echoes this piece. I'll post it and you can decide for yourself if you agree.

Awesome write. Now how do we convince nearly 7 billion others that these ideas are more than just words?

[Linear]

History proves that freedom under man's dominion is not possible.

[John Patrick Robbins AK..]

really diffrent change of pace im a history buff so really good read my friend
Craig no matter what you post my friend i always know its gonna be a good read
great work amigo

[KATHY SUE SILLS]

Craig this was stunning! A strong poem that seeps freedom! Excellent work