Freedom

Freedom If being free means: you, shut up
because I have something to say

If being free means: you behind bars
so that we don’t have to fear your
being different and all your different doings

If being free means: defining strictly
the day of tomorrow by making the day of today
a bit less of a day

If being free means: closing the doors
and freely watching on the screen
that which has to be kept safely at bay

If being free means: sleeping at ease always
because others had their tongues wilfully taken

If being free means: eating what and when you want
though the peels are dropped into newspapers
where hunger is concealed

If being free means: not needing to know
what freed me, what keeps me free, what confines me
every day in freedom

If freedom means: waiting for the other
to set me free of frights which I profoundly trust

If freedom plasters my thoughts
If freedom around me blows everywhere around
and in me,
but remains elusive to you

If freedom protects me against
your ideas which I deem too different

If freedom today
seems so natural to me, though you
don’t know its meaning

Then freedom is entailing to me
and beheading to you
Then freedom is air and arbitrary

But perhaps I am at liberty to cede some of my ample freedom – by mutual
consent of course – either temporarily or
for a longer period of time
to free you
of my suffocating freedom

Marion Bloem

English translation by Laurens Sipahelut
From original poem “Vrijheid” (Freedom) by Marion Bloem

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Freedom

If being free is: you be quiet
for I have something to say

If being free is: you behind bars, because
then we don’t have to be afraid
for all your being and doing differently

If being free is: rigidly determining
the day of tomorrow by allowing today’s day
to be a little less day

If being free is: closing the doors
and watching freely on the screen
what should have safely been kept at bay

If being free is: sleeping quietly all the time
because the voice of others has been purposefully
taken from them

If being free is: eating what and when you want
but dropping the peels into the newspapers
in which the hunger is being silenced

If being free is: not having to know what freed me,
keeps me free, takes me
prisoner in freedom every day

If being free is: waiting until the other
frees me from the fears I rely on
religiously

If freedom plasters my thoughts
If freedom blows everywhere around me
and inside of me
but is not capturable for you

If freedom protects me
against your ideas that are too
different to me

If freedom for me today seems so
evident, and you don’t
know what that means

Then freedom is tails for me
and a beheading for you
Then freedom is vapor, and arbitrary
But perhaps it does allow me
– with mutual appreciation of course –
to allow you some
of my abundant freedom
temporarily or for a longer duration of time
as to free you
from my suffocating freedom

Marion Bloem

English translation by Angela E. Roe

The post Freedom in English by Angela E. Roe appeared first on Freedom by Marion Bloem.

Freedom

If being free is: you shut up
because I have something to say

If being free is: you behind bars,
so we don’t need to be afraid
of you being different
in what you do or don’t

If being free is: strictly shaping
tomorrow by turning today
into a lesser day

If being free is: closing doors
to observe freely on a monitor
all that should be safely away
If being free is: always sleeping softly
because others’ tongues have been
maliciously cut off

If being free is: eating what you want and when
but dropping the peelings in daily papers
in which starvation is concealed

If being free is: not having to know
what liberated me, what keeps me free, what
imprisons me in freedom every day

If freedom is: waiting until another
frees me from fears in which
I have absolute faith

If freedom plasters my thoughts
If freedom wafts all around me
and inside me,
but can’t be captured by you

If freedom protects me
against your ideas that are
far too different for me

If freedom to me today seems
so natural, and you can’t
get the meaning

Then freedom is tails for me and
heads off for you
Then freedom is air and arbitrary

But may I be free
to abandon
some of my ample freedom – if
both sides agree of course –
temporarily or for a longer time
in order to free you
from my suffocating freedom

Marion Bloem

English translation by Martin Cleaver

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