Collaboration Poem Completed.

Over a month ago, I wrote a post about collaborating together on a poem project with the theme freedom. I provided the first four lines, leaving the rest of the poem up to you. The collaboration has ended and I’m beyond excited to share the results of our work together. It is a beautiful piece comprised of much depth, beauty, and visceral emotion from the different writers of the WordPress Community.

The whole goal of this collaboration was to connect with people during our social isolation in order to not feel so socially distant. I hope others were able to feel a bit better about these current circumstances, along with getting their mind off of it–even if it was for just a little. Admittedly, this collaboration was fun on my side and I hope it was just as fun for you as well. I may hold another one in the future, perhaps a near future… Oh, shall time tell?

The theme for this collaboration was freedom as I said. The reality of freedom is presented through all of you, either similar or different. Each writer communicated a sense of reality beheld to a range of perspectives worth learning and understanding. I feel very honored to have read all of your entries and see the actuality of what freedom means to you and how it impacts you.

Below I have the lines of the poem credited with their respective authors. Please feel free to visit their websites to see more of their wonderful work and engage with them as well. I arranged the lines of this poem based on the order of submissions I received. I have as well compiled this poem altogether for an easier read at the end of this post.

I am also always open to suggestions for future contest or collaboration ideas and topics. Just let me know through the comments.

Readers and writers, please feel free to stick around, order a drink at our bar, and promote your work in this comment section or meet other writers and authors. Remember, to get to the Little Writing Workshop of Horrors, turn left at the nearest abandoned Mattress Firm.

All rights go to the respective authors of their individual pieces. 

---

Lucy (Lines 1—4)

Upon the dark winged azure, the dream invites
Light freedom from long ago; the tumult births mankind, and through my lips,
I will have recognized the shadows beyond the world,
With eyes among the laurel leaves, I see tears upon the rowan fields

MB (Lines 5—8)

with the mirror of the past
blurry with select anticipation
we the People wait
keeping freedom on our breast a blessing they can’t take

Navin (Lines 9—12)

The mankind has been ignorant & now this calamity
The karma hits back, seems like an eternity
The times are hard & people are panicking, it’s hard to breathe
Fear is temporary, it’s the love & freedom that we ought to live & feed

John Diestler (Lines 13—16)

Awake!, the trumpet blows the clarion call.
The spirit soars, but the flesh recoils,
Buried beneath heaps of downy warmth,
Leaving freedom to dream-state in sloth

Nicodemas “The Wing Not Yet Broken.” (Lines 17—18)

Note from Nicodemas: I dedicate this to my wife.

The fields are weeping for the rip in the deepest of blue, and for the wing not yet broken.
Yet she refuses the despair, this hawk of mine, reaching forward she heals the grey and sews the sky…… together again.

Lily (Lines 19—22)

The mocking bird tilts its head
Today is the day the trumpets will blare.
If not that of the music,
All eyes turn there.

Shantanu Baruah (Lines 23—26)

Then a sense of belonging, drapes my soul
I reckon this feeling, like a song from yore
the lark at the distant horizon, rhymes my thoughts
and I find wings of a long lost dream

Matt Snyder (Lines 27—30)

The hills and rolls of mountains thick
left behind my bag of tricks
a sojourn into this glutinous feast
Free at last I’ve tamed the beast

John Coyote (Lines 31—34)

What is the cost of freedom?
To some, freedom is everything.
They gave everything away for us to know open dreams and open spaces.
Million white crosses for brave men across our world. This is the payment for our freedom.

Tyler R. Martin (Lines 35—38)

Attention grasped as the atom bomb Peony explodes
Scarring the summer night sky with auras red, white and blue;
Burgers cook and beers clang with the shouts of “cheers!”
As Chrysanthemum erupts in a glorious golden hue.

Rhen Laird  (Lines 39—42)

Freedom isn’t free
Even children are soon aware
While relishing wings
Notice comes: ‘Payment Due’

Kim Johnson (Lines 43—44)

Unshakable truth is what we all want
How to get there, first, is the step we shall seek

Dana R  (Lines 45—48)

Freedom flees when we attempt to define
the emotion of belonging to our time
Freedom bleeds when we attempt to blind
our humanity for the sake of a shiny dime 

Roland Keld (Lines 49—52)

Freedom is not an easy call
We must wait to find it
Fight to keep it
Perseverance above all

Dor (Lines 53—56)

Your world is a canvas, your choices are paint.
The colors are inside of you, there’s no need to contain.
Release all of your hues, for this, you shall claim.
To paint a picture that only you can frame.

Krista M.D.R. (Lines 57—60)

Against the wicked metal vine, I awoke and struggled loose
My ankles blue from leaves of ice, fingers red from handshakes firm
A pot of coffee awaits the newcomer; and by the growing fire
We look towards the east- behold! The red sun rises beyond the hills

Ivor Steven  (Lines 61—64)

Embraced in the arms of my double happiness,
I give thanks for night’s arrival. 
Before you, when every corner was ink black 
and the world around soundless 

Maria Michaela (Lines 65—66)

And over the mountains I spread my wings
Soaring high above everything 

Adidas (Lines 67—70)

The moment the fetters uncaged the soul,
The waves of freedom drowns it in an untasted joy,
The sigh of regret came in a snap, the sublimation quelled:
When in heaven, I treated my body like hell.

CHRISTINE BIALCZAK – STINE WRITING (Lines 71—74)

Freedom is…Birds wings floating above the stream of wind 
Freedom is…Pollen blowing through the air, attaching itself randomly 
Freedom is …Rain falling upon the earth with no sure destination 
Freedom is…Love growing around us as we welcome it into our lives.  

The Edifying Word (Lines 75—78)

I choose.
Health, safety, caution.
For those I love and those I don’t know.
This is my freedom to love.

James Strummer (Lines 79—82)

Four rivers run through the garden of Eden, 
With all God’s creations and man and his wife
Adam and Eve bite the apple forbidden 
Are blessed in knowledge but cursed to this life

PatBunny (Lines 83—86)

Winged birds fly up towards the clouds,
Moving farther towards a setting sun.
And the voices in my head cease their loud clamor,
As the shadows give chase and I run.

Shobana Gomes (Lines 87—88)

Tears that resembled unspoken words, 
Words that bespoke freedom lost…

Manvi Sharma (Lines 89—92)

No more dins and no more taints, finally Mother Earth has no more complaints!
This pandemic is the consequence of mankind’s deeds, now, when dame nature seeks vengeance..the human pleads!
Yes, this is just a phase..this too shall go
In the difficult times, we must not forget that life is all about to and fro!

Josie Holford (Lines 93—96)

Alas and alack I wandered all forsaken.
But – suddenly an insight flash – I am mistaken!
O help us all? No. No dark winged dreams
But pure delight fills my heart it seems.

a.d.matthias (Lines 97—100)

Come has wintertide, the solitary rampike stands, draped in daggers and frosty hoar
A single, twisted palm of marcescent hope clings, staving freedom for the wretched bole
Leavetaking from this sere meadow is long overdue, its disconsolate roots died an age ago
Let it fall, please, let it fall

Gabriel (Lines 101-104)

But who dares dream among blinding stars
Who dares? Who dares but those courageous hearts as
they will not their steps when they walk
or deny they reach farther when blind

Nick Reeves (Lines 105-108)

Heavy hang these cuffs, this collar –
though light enough to earn your dollar.
You taught me to spell ‘freedom’ well –
with an H, an E, a double L.

Mary Caezar (Lines 109-112)

In the existence of life under lock and key; I yearn for a hope.
For the darkness that’s withholding; the cure to my being─
The answer of what’s to be truly;
To carry on; begin to choose and embrace myself solely.

Aditi Lahane (Lines 113-116)

Soft is the hush of eventide and birds among the budding trees
The subtle allure of darkness was profound but now it does freeze
Replaced by lush vales, cold and calm lakes and a gentle breeze
I open my mouth and sing a song, I’m free, indeed I’m free!

M-F (Lines 117-118)

Music flows throughout the room,
Freedom dancing under the moon.

Silver Stone (Lines 119-122)

With eyes closed, peace swallows me;
As I am soothed by the cool runnings,
Of the gentle streams of tranquility:
A hidden treasure discovered at last!

Big Sky Buckeye (Lines 123-126)

Dreams of freedom invite sacrifice
Peaceful means striving to carry through
Eyes looking upon a young nation
Learning from their lessons, forever true

Anish Nair (Lines 127-130)

From blood and sweat, I wake up free,
The eyes that look to me will weep,
With unbound joy and love they see,
And yet the secret they must keep!

Ingrid (Lines 131-134)

For 42 days they’d waited
42 long, housebound days
On a Sunday, the invisible barrier broken
They stepped outside to find Spring in full bloom

Jmmr (Lines 135-138)

The sky wakes up and sleeps in a rhythm,
I am caught in-between its pattern,
Trying to be the sun or moon – whichever fits the current horizon,
Only to realize at the end of each day – I was, am, and will forever be the flowing wind.

SnowHearT (Lines 139-142)

If you feel so sad, lean on my shoulder.
If you want to cry, here’s my hankies.
But if you can’t, I will hug you.
For you to feel, you’re not alone.

Omatra7 (Lines 143-146)

I live in a country, where I am allowed to be free, but a dangerous virus quarantines me.
Trapped inside, with nothing to do… just waiting for a cure, and hoping it’s true.
Freedom will be different… not like it was before… I’ve learned many lessons, that is for sure…
Don’t take freedom for granted… it’s so precious you see… learn from these lessons to truly be free.

Tarushi Parashar (Lines 147-148)

Oh, what a bliss this is!
To see the world past the cage which held my wings…

Julie Karey (Lines 149-151)

The sleepy giants in their freshly minted sage beds roll and slumber.
Is this their dream that whispers darkness
and light as I slip along their skirts below?

BeforeYouQuit (Lines 152-155)

Morphing gyves into a glorious hawser
Heart aflutter, whole with impetus
Aware of the ambiance cradling my hands
I can’t believe I made it this far.

---

Upon the dark winged azure, the dream invites
Light freedom from long ago; the tumult births mankind, and through my lips,
I will have recognized the shadows beyond the world,
With eyes among the laurel leaves, I see tears upon the rowan fields;
with the mirror of the past
blurry with select anticipation
we the People wait
keeping freedom on our breast a blessing they can’t take
The mankind has been ignorant & now this calamity
The karma hits back, seems like an eternity
The times are hard & people are panicking, it’s hard to breathe
Fear is temporary, it’s the love & freedom that we ought to live & feed
Awake!, the trumpet blows the clarion call.
The spirit soars, but the flesh recoils,
Buried beneath heaps of downy warmth,
Leaving freedom to dream-state in sloth
The fields are weeping for the rip in the deepest of blue, and for the wing not yet broken.
Yet she refuses the despair, this hawk of mine, reaching forward she heals the grey and sews the sky…… together again.
The mocking bird tilts its head
Today is the day the trumpets will blare.
If not that of the music,
All eyes turn there.
Then a sense of belonging, drapes my soul
I reckon this feeling, like a song from yore
the lark at the distant horizon, rhymes my thoughts
and I find wings of a long lost dream
The hills and rolls of mountains thick
left behind my bag of tricks
a sojourn into this glutinous feast
Free at last I’ve tamed the beast.

What is the cost of freedom?
To some, freedom is everything.
They gave everything away for us to know open dreams and open spaces.
Million white crosses for brave men across our world. This is the payment for our freedom.
Attention grasped as the atom bomb Peony explodes
Scarring the summer night sky with auras red, white and blue;
Burgers cook and beers clang with the shouts of “cheers!”
As Chrysanthemum erupts in a glorious golden hue.
Freedom isn’t free
Even children are soon aware
While relishing wings
Notice comes: ‘Payment Due’
Unshakable truth is what we all want
How to get there, first, is the step we shall seek.

Freedom flees when we attempt to define
the emotion of belonging to our time
Freedom bleeds when we attempt to blind
our humanity for the sake of a shiny dime
Freedom is not an easy call
We must wait to find it
Fight to keep it
Perseverance above all
Your world is a canvas, your choices are paint.
The colors are inside of you, there’s no need to contain.
Release all of your hues, for this, you shall claim.
To paint a picture that only you can frame.

Against the wicked metal vine, I awoke and struggled loose
My ankles blue from leaves of ice, fingers red from handshakes firm
A pot of coffee awaits the newcomer; and by the growing fire
We look towards the east- behold! The red sun rises beyond the hills
Embraced in the arms of my double happiness,
I give thanks for night’s arrival.
Before you, when every corner was ink black
and the world around soundless
And over the mountains I spread my wings
Soaring high above everything
The moment the fetters uncaged the soul,
The waves of freedom drowns it in an untasted joy,
The sigh of regret came in a snap, the sublimation quelled:
When in heaven, I treated my body like hell.

Freedom is…Birds wings floating above the stream of wind
Freedom is…Pollen blowing through the air, attaching itself randomly
Freedom is …Rain falling upon the earth with no sure destination
Freedom is…Love growing around us as we welcome it into our lives.
I choose.
Health, safety, caution.
For those I love and those I don’t know.
This is my freedom to love.

Four rivers run through the garden of Eden,
With all God’s creations and man and his wife
Adam and Eve bite the apple forbidden
Are blessed in knowledge but cursed to this life;
Winged birds fly up towards the clouds,
Moving farther towards a setting sun.
And the voices in my head cease their loud clamor,
As the shadows give chase and I run.
Tears that resembled unspoken words,
Words that bespoke freedom lost…

No more dins and no more taints, finally Mother Earth has no more complaints!
This pandemic is the consequence of mankind’s deeds, now, when dame nature seeks vengeance..the human pleads!
Yes, this is just a phase..this too shall go
In the difficult times, we must not forget that life is all about to and fro!
Alas and alack I wandered all forsaken.
But – suddenly an insight flash – I am mistaken!
O help us all? No. No dark winged dreams
But pure delight fills my heart it seems.

Come has wintertide, the solitary rampike stands, draped in daggers and frosty hoar
A single, twisted palm of marcescent hope clings, staving freedom for the wretched bole
Leavetaking from this sere meadow is long overdue, its disconsolate roots died an age ago
Let it fall, please, let it fall
But who dares dream among blinding stars
Who dares? Who dares but those courageous hearts as
they will not their steps when they walk
or deny they reach farther when blind

Heavy hang these cuffs, this collar –
though light enough to earn your dollar.
You taught me to spell ‘freedom’ well –
with an H, an E, a double L.
In the existence of life under lock and key; I yearn for a hope.
For the darkness that’s withholding; the cure to my being─
The answer of what’s to be truly;
To carry on; begin to choose and embrace myself solely.
Soft is the hush of eventide and birds among the budding trees
The subtle allure of darkness was profound but now it does freeze
Replaced by lush vales, cold and calm lakes and a gentle breeze
I open my mouth and sing a song, I’m free, indeed I’m free!
Music flows throughout the room,
Freedom dancing under the moon.

With eyes closed, peace swallows me;
As I am soothed by the cool runnings,
Of the gentle streams of tranquility:
A hidden treasure discovered at last!
Dreams of freedom invite sacrifice
Peaceful means striving to carry through
Eyes looking upon a young nation
Learning from their lessons, forever true;
From blood and sweat, I wake up free,
The eyes that look to me will weep,
With unbound joy and love they see,
And yet the secret they must keep!

For 42 days they’d waited
42 long, housebound days
On a Sunday, the invisible barrier broken
They stepped outside to find Spring in full bloom
The sky wakes up and sleeps in a rhythm,
I am caught in-between its pattern,
Trying to be the sun or moon – whichever fits the current horizon,
Only to realize at the end of each day – I was, am, and will forever be the flowing wind.

If you feel so sad, lean on my shoulder.
If you want to cry, here’s my hankies.
But if you can’t, I will hug you.
For you to feel, you’re not alone.
I live in a country, where I am allowed to be free, but a dangerous virus quarantines me.
Trapped inside, with nothing to do… just waiting for a cure, and hoping it’s true.
Freedom will be different… not like it was before… I’ve learned many lessons, that is for sure…
Don’t take freedom for granted… it’s so precious you see… learn from these lessons to truly be free.

The sleepy giants in their freshly minted sage beds roll and slumber.
Is this their dream that whispers darkness
and light as I slip along their skirts below?
Morphing gyves into a glorious hawser
Heart aflutter, whole with impetus
Aware of the ambiance cradling my hands
I can’t believe I made it this far.