Without Freedom Still - edited - Poem by Raymond A. Foss

Our church family, our community
gathered, took time off,
pondered our freedom,
on the anniversary
our Declaration of Independence
when our forefathers dissolved the political bonds
when these colonies proclaimed, to the world,
what we as a people hoped for,
what we as a nation believed in
as a people, set apart,
that each one of us hold these truths to be self-evident,
that everyone is born equal, each one,
that the creator gave us unalienable rights,
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

How wondrous are those words,
how much we as a country have achieved
casting off the chains that hold us back
how far together, we have to go; but
We here in this land are free, by most measures

How hard life must be
in the many places on the globe
where people are not yet free
where there are people still
in the grip of slavery, in bondage,
in fear for their lives,
for their children’s lives
for any kind of future
for religious persecution,
indiscriminant death

How blind we are as a people, as individuals,
to the realities around the world
How silent this nation is
to the evil that stalks this sphere
How much more America could do
if each of us took our freedoms more seriously
and invested in justice
to the four corners
of this troubled planet

Edited March 21, 2010
based on question from 8th grader about what word
I would use if I replaced “we” in the original version
July 4, 2007 20:36

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Without Freedom Still

We gathered, took time off,
pondered our freedom,
on the anniversary
our Declaration of Independence
when we dissolved the political bonds
when we proclaimed, to the world,
what we hoped for, what we believed in
as a people, set apart,
that we hold these truths to be self-evident,
that we are born equal, each one,
that the creator gave us unalienable rights,
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

How wondrous are those words,
how much we have achieved
casting off the chains that hold us back
how far we have to go; but
We are free, by most measures

How hard life must be
in the many places on the globe
where people are not yet free
where there are people still
in the grip of slavery, in bondage,
in fear for their lives,
for their children’s lives
for any kind of future
for religious persecution,
indiscriminant death

How blind we are,
to the realities around the world
How silent we are
to the evil that stalks this sphere
How much more we could do
if we took our freedoms more seriously
and invested in justice
to the four corners
of this troubled planet

July 4, 2007 20:36

Copyright by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Contact me at Ray Foss
for usage.