Freedom is four hundred and fifty square feet of moveable tin, wheeling down the highway, destination unknown. It is long walks through exotic forests, where focus lasts only as long as it takes to capture an image. It is the privilege of sleeping and waking according to whim, routine an estranged concept. It is the breeding ground for creativity – passion unleashed – and it is tainted by the hue of loneliness, the stark awareness that ties are strained, and those left behind feel abandoned.
Freedom’s highway calls –
hearts follow, passions flow, flee
guilt’s far-reaching pull.
(Written for DVerse’s Halibun Monday: Complexity of Freedom prompt.)
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I like this take on the prompt. Well written. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for reading, Maria!
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Thank you for taking me on the ride with you! ❤
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Happy to have you along!
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I like how you’ve written that freedom isn’t black or white – it’s nuanced, moments of freedom, laced with moments of loneliness. Well done.
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Thanks, Jo. My husband and I just returned from six months on the road, and this has been very much on my mind. When are we ever truly free? Appreciate the comment.
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It’s all flipsides, isn’t it? It’s good to be alone, it’s hard to be lonely. It’s good to be free, it’s hard to be without our network. You give us the good and the darker side so well.
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Thanks, Sarah. Such is life, it seems.
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I often dream of a long road trip then feel the pull of those I would leave behind. Your haibun captures that conflict well.
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The trip was worth every bit of guilt I might have felt. It is not often we women do something for ourselves – the whole experience was empowering on so many levels.
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I can imagine. Oh boy do I wish I had a suitable vehicle.
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You nailed the two-sided nature of “freedom” – nicely pinned and penned!
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Thanks Jazz. How are the travels. Wish I was there with you.
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Travels beset with AC and refrigerator “personality fits” … otherwise enjoying shaded park in Arkansas next to Coleman Crystal Mine – Gary doing lots of digging – Labrador and I doing lots of lazing.
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Lovely. We had the same problems at the outset. Everyone and everything needs to adjust, I guess.
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The double side of freedom… love the reflection of those left behind… so many choices leave others stranded
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They do. Thanks for the comment.
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You have captured its complexities with its hue of loneliness and shades of abandonment.
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Thank you, Grace.
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Well captured. Freedom is freedom to make mistakes also.
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Yes…it is! Thanks for your comment.
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You are welcome, dear.
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