Conforming to Freedom | Teen Ink

Conforming to Freedom

February 16, 2022
By ReneeMoy BRONZE, Flowermound, Texas
ReneeMoy BRONZE, Flowermound, Texas
4 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There is a certain beauty in setting the world on fire and watching from the center of the flames."- Fiona


Conforming to a symbol

Of freedom

Freedom of religion and speech 

Stripped as every 

American star stands 

In a classroom and recites

A prayer-

Under god

In unison to a symbol

Of individuality and freedom

Of religion

Take a proper gander at the

Blatant propaganda

Before you snub your nose at civil disobedience 

Remember Thoreau

Then Take a thorough thought

About the right of protest.

Would you encourage our 

Friends

To the north to do as we do?

To conform 

And worship a symbol each

Morning in their schools?

Or would you yell ‘commies’

would your vision go red  And scared

That you press the

Red button that 

Sends our freedom and democracy in

  Tight packages

With a gift tag that puts us 

Wide

Open

For a return gift. 

There is strength in unity, but
Weakness in conformity. 

We cannot exist as a hypocrisy.

I know this is a lot coming from a blind side

Sandra bullock but when my friends are being struck

By bullets I have to care

Care enough to speak out loud

Care enough to talk back

Because there are those that are silenced by a 

Silencer 

while they lie dead waiting for justice

It's just us that seem to care 

When we allow ourselves to ignore the

Executioners steady drum of our 

Friends and neighbors hitting the pavement

We haven't made our payment to each other

To build a better tomorrow 

But we put the building off until tomorrow.

For The next generation 

Or the next

Until all we've built is a nest

Full of thousands of baby birds

Unable to fly because 

Our previous generation taught us how to walk

Because their founding fathers built

The step by step guide

But those fathers wanted us to fly 

Every species of us to fly in our own direction 

But our fathers want to turn our nest

Into a melting pot 

Until you can't tell us apart

What is the point of uniformity

If its enforced by uniforms

That are so anxious so spread the word of 

God that they let is out in streams of open fire

On countries who haven't 

Even heard of the man


We are raised to believe that what we know

Is the ‘right’ way.

We have to open our mind like a flower ready 

To be watered with knowledge and

Cultures that aren't our own

We must become a garden of flowers 

To guard our powers

Our differences in biodiversity

Make us strong through adversity.


The author's comments:

I was inspired by Henry David Thoreau's 'Civil Disobedience', and I wanted to write a piece of slam poetry that represented my thoughts towards the irony of saying the pledge of allegiance in unison at a flag that symbolizes independence.


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