Freedom is …
True selfhood.
The unravelling of everything we are not.
No longer performing.
Not a protest.
A well to be drawn from.
Returning to the original flame.
Turning inward again and again, until we become a song.
The courage to disappoint others.
Truth over comfort.
Nature in and around us.
Living without armor, not without strength.
Living without masks, not without mystery.
To want to prove nothing.
Living with open hands, not clenched fists.
A sacred exposure.
Where in my body am I still in chains?
What would it feel like to be free?
The prison door is always open.
(Inspired by Mary Oliver)