Emily Morris
Free Leaves
To me, the cars are bears
People are giants
And houses are planets
The other oak trees are my neighbours
And I am one of many leaves.
Gushing winds blow us around most of the time
And some of my family and friends
Fly off and land on the rough ground.
Laughter surrounds me when children play
With my family,
I hear them crackling beneath the children’s feet
But I am not ready to fall off yet.
I hang there on my stalk
Waiting, waiting, waiting…
From that moment I knew that my family
Would turn into trees of their own.
I began to sail through the air
Not knowing where I was going
Or what was going to happen.
Landing softly on the ground
I had a certain feeling of excitement,
That in a couple of years’ time,
I was going to become a tree.
India Barrasso
Freedom
Freedom is being on a beach with sunlit silence,
Running your fingers through the depths of the sand.
It’s a fresh flower in a misty grave yard,
A blossom of a butterfly leaving its cocoon.
Freedom is a cloud bending down to pick you up,
It’s like a long forest with a dot of light shining through,
There are giant towering trees at the end of the forest floor,
Waiting for you to come.
It’s a happy soul in the middle of the sea,
A hungry wave splashing against the shore.
It’s a river with no ending,
A stream leading to nowhere.
Freedom is a golf ball being launched across a fresh field,
It’s a never ending path leading to the wonders of a rainbow.
As free as a wild animal,
As free as the sea.
Jess Tinton
What does it mean to be free?
To me, being free means
Going to Norfolk
With all the fresh air
Walking along the sea edge
Who knows where!
To be free it means
Being on my own
But of course with my dog
Just me and him
Sitting on a log.
To be free it means
Splashing in the rock pools
Finding all sorts of things
Crabs, fish and lots of shells
One time I saw something with wings!
To be free it means
Silence, space and happiness
Trees swaying almost in time
The sound of rushing waves
If I had a choice I’d be here full-time.
That is what freedom means to me; sitting by the edge, just Jakey and me.
Ben Saunders
Freedom
An open meadow lies ahead,
A small breeze blows by.
No one here to watch me,
As I look up at the sky.
A bright sun is shining,
In a sea of cloudless blue.
Feet sink into the grass,
Free from sock and shoe.
I can truly be myself here,
I can sing and dance and run.
Birds tweet in unseen trees,
As I lie here in the sun.
But somewhere there’s a voice,
A distant person I can hardly hear.
I strain my ears to listen,
And it starts to become more clear.
It’s someone calling my name,
I feel my world being whisked away.
No singing birds or gentle breeze,
Cold harsh air, no gentle rays.
Students stare wild-eyed,
“Ben, Ben, are you listening Ben?”
“Yes!” I mumble, thinking of the meadow,
Wishing I could go there again.
Brooke Fleming
My Kind of Freedom
Climbing cushion mountain,
Flying my sofa plane,
Sliding down snowy stairs,
Exploring the jungle garden,
Capturing alien insects,
Leaping across the lava floor,
Hiding in my table cave,
Bouncing on my moon trampoline,
Snuggling in my spaceship bed,
Who knows where I’ll wake up?
Sebastian Goold
Usain Bolt – Free From the Pack
As I set myself up on the blocks,
My body felt as if in permanent lock.
Tensions were building. I was so close, but yet so far,
To achieve my dream I had to raise the bar,
Bang! The gun went. In my chest my heart was
Pounding,
Adrenalin rush! From the crowd, roars sounding.
This was it, at my peak, no more looking back.
Striding out, pulling away, I was free from the pack.
Scanning left and right, I felt no fear.
Glancing up, glimpsed the finish line drawing near.
Dipping my head, flying across the line,
I, Usain Bolt, the champion. The gold was mine.
Mila Gorner
Flight to Freedom
If I were a bird,
I would spread my wings
And fly
Above all the hatred
And pain,
That isn’t present in the sky.
I would fly past
The barbarity
The world has to offer,
I would glide past
The destruction
And wonder, why we bother?
I would break free from
The shackles
And forget the angst
Below,
Relishing the summits where
Worries never go.
If I were a bird,
I would soar up high,
To know that freedom
Wasn’t just a lie.
Sophia Mattera
The Fight for Freedom
Freedom is what the suffragettes fought for,
To fight for the right of women to soar.
Freedom was found through hard work and flight,
Thanks to the efforts of the brothers Wright.
Don’t forget about our brothers in arms,
Who fought for our freedom until the break of dawn.
Who could forget about Rosa Parks,
Who saw the light, when all was dark.
Maybe we could learn a lesson or two,
From those who fought for the many and
Not the few.
Fight for freedom for all.
Amba Tilney
All the Same but Different
“A las estrellas mi pequeña princesa”
In Barcelona, Artists cover the paved streets,
The evening seems to be the favoured time.
Avid shopaholics continuing to accumulate receipts,
Amid the hustle and bustle, no one hears the chime!
Passing through the buzzing alleys, I see Casa Mila in
The distance…
The night here is so beautiful, more beautiful
Than any other in existence!
“Aux etoiles ma petite princesse”
Paris, known as the city of love and compassion,
The evening seems to be the favoured time.
Sweethearts, lovers, the capital of fashion.
Words effortlessly flowing, like the Seine, almost
Too beautiful, it could be a crime!
Through the trees I see it twinkle, The Eiffel Tower…
I’m speechless for once!
The night here is so glamourous, more glamourous
Than any other in existence!
“Alle stele la mia piccolo principessa”
I love the Italian culture, flamboyant, family and food!
The evening seems to be the favoured time…
Everybody dining together for hours, no matter the mood!
Above the canopy, street lights glow covering a vast
Distance…
The night here is so lively, more lively than
Any other in existence!
“Tare o mate mara ochi rayakumari”
Kumarakom, a heaven on earth, free of worries,
The evening seems to be the favoured time.
Sunset boat trips – the majestic backwater journeys.
An experience one treasures dearly for a lifetime!
As I lean over the railing, I see the sun floating
In the clear blue brilliance,
The night here is so peaceful, more peaceful
Than any other in existence!
“To the stars my princess…”
I was sat in my garden one evening when a
Meteor shower began…
The twinkle caught my eye as dozens of starts
Shot across the sky!
Thousands of diamonds illuminate the
Black satin sheet above me.
I looked up above me and saw the most
Beautiful sight, two people I love dearly.
It was as if they were watching over me…
Maybe they had been for 12 years but I was
Too busy watching the world in front of me.
Two starts, the brightest in the sky sat next
To each other right above my head. Tears
I cried until no more tears formed.
A feeling of immense joy came over
Me. I found my free place, my safe place.
Every country where everything is different,
Everything is the same; a feeling of warmth
And security, as long as my stars shine.
Maddy Baillie
Freedom
Giggling, smiling, watching, sleeping!
The first journey of a new, untouched life.
No hurt, no pain. Just being!
Those days I long for before this strife
Freedom, freedom, freedom…
Running, leaping, playing, discovering!
That blissful ignorance stays so sweet –
No worries, no cares. Just living!
My childhood self, I’d love to meet
Freedom, freedom…
Working, thinking, paying, stressing!
No longer new. But older and wiser.
The pain. The heartbreak. So overwhelming.
Longing to reverse the time. Forever.
Freedom…
Aching, ageing, hurting, dying!
Slumped in a chair for days on end.
The worries. The captivity.
Wondering. When will this end?
Elise Chowdhury
Freedom
Free to work in silence
Free to scythe the grain,
Free to feel the slash of whips
As they bound me up with chain.
Free to exist as a number
Free to be a slave,
Free to dance unto their tune
‘Til they released me to my grave.
Free to know my worthlessness
Free to know I’d lost,
Free to suffer throughout that life
With my freedom as the cost.
It’s hard to know what freedom is
When you’re born to be unfree,
But I felt it at once, that afternoon
As I swung there from the tree.