Rosie's Poetry

free

by rosie l.

she was never free

never

ever

did she have her freedom?

it may have seemed like she was

but when we think about it

was she ever free?

she shouldn’t have to earn her freedom

she should have gotten it from the start

but no.

she didn’t.

and she never did.

she was freed

but not free.

she had possessions

but she had no possession over her life

she was harmed

but she was not harmful

so why, oh why, could she never be free?

Rosie’s Statement

I thought of the idea for this poem when I realized that yes, Tamar has been freed, but she wasn’t really free. She had been granted freedom, but being a Black woman in the 17-1800s, how free could she really be? Even when she had been given freedom, she lived a life of fear and constant danger, and no one should ever have to endure what she went through, even when she was freed. You can’t call yourself free and always live in constant fear.

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