I saw freedom written on terrestrial walls
freedom written in children’s blood
freedom oozing from decaying bodies
I heard freedom’s anthems sung by decapitated souls
and mothers reaping the severed limbs of their
toddlers
I saw
fathers’ hopes going up in flames at the height of
civilian demonstrations and political protests
freedom distorted in the jumbled hysteria of
wailing widows
freedom frozen in the mouths of bantering dictators
freedom summarised in endless fear and pain

I saw
freedom ending in political turmoil and
economic slavery
babies abandoned by dollar-seeking mothers
corrupt officials farting on embezzled donor funds
democracy failing to remove dictators from the
throne
and the people growing used to such oppression.
I saw all this slander and bloodshed and
said, “freedom is here, mother!”
but then demented like drowning
shadows
all the free turned on me and said, “we have reaped
nothing”
of what we have sown.