FREEDOM (a poem)

Locked in, held

back, covered over.

I feel the slow-motion

of release

about to emerge.

One leg, arm lifts, head dips.

Can it be?

Can I move beyond?

Pulling away, slowly, bit by bit

Cautious, careful

Can it be?

A loosening, a falling maybe.

I catch myself.

A thrust forward.

A slow awakening.

Can it be that I can be free?

Open to the new, head thrown back.

Full abandon, full release.

Acceptance. Joy. A complete embrace.

It is.

Sculpture by Zeno Frudakis, 2000

6th and Vine Streets, Philadelphia, PA