To Me, Freedom Looks Like…

Hey, y’all! I hope your weeks have been fruitful.

Today, I’m sharing a poem I wrote in August while facilitating a professional development workshop for DC Public School art teachers participating in the ACE Fellowship Program. The workshop was about “Warm-Ups to Foster Creative Collaboration” for teenagers in art classes.

When I facilitate—whether it’s with young people or adults—I almost always participate in the writing prompt along with the participants. It builds trust because it shows that I’m not asking them to be vulnerable while I remain shielded. If no one is eager to share their writing with the group, I will share my writing first.

In this workshop, I used one of my favorite free-writing prompts: “To me, freedom looks like…” The fellowship leader (shout out to Lindsey Vance!) set a timer for 5 minutes and we all wrote whatever came to mind without editing our thoughts. This is what I wrote:

FREEDOM LOOKS LIKE
By Farah Lawal Harris

To me, freedom looks like
speaking my mind without fear of consequences.
Freedom looks like unconditional love,
like flowers in full bloom.
It feels like summer nights,
breeze blowing, eyes closed,
sitting on a bench inhaling, exhaling.
Freedom feels like air.
It feels like flying.
It feels like God’s love
and my Mama’s love and my Daddy’s love
and my husband’s love and my son’’s love
all balled up and placed in my chest
to wear like an amulet.
Freedom looks like what I’m becoming.
Free is where I’m going.
You wanna come?
There’s extra room if you tryna roll.
If not, I understand.
Freedom can be scary
cuz it’s so unfamiliar for those who look like me.
Who look like us, actually.
When’s the last time you were free?