To be free

Is to sing,

To write,

To be.

Without hesitation,

Without discrimination,

With respect and determination.

I found this

When I was young

In the words of Shel Siverstein

At the point where the sidewalk ends,

In Edgar Allen Poe,

Once upon a midnight dreary.

And finally in John Donne,

A helpless romantic and a lover of life.

Their works eminated freedom of expression,

A concept that hit home with a girl,

Whose life included no freedom,

Who instead lived with

No

and Hopeless

and You Really Think You're Good Enough?

Instead of listening to the Demeaners,

I decided to follow the Dreamers,

the Believers, those who go out and Do!

And I started writing.

I let out the insecurities and the fears

Through loops and curves and words

And ended up feeling

More free,

More me

Than ever before.

So

This is why I write.

Because you will never know true freedom

Until you drop the Demeaners,

the No's, and

the Fears

And make room for something better -

The complete self-expression that comes from writing.