Saturday, May 31, 2008

One Single Impression: Freedom


While watching out the window
He shouted with glee!
“I want to catch a bird!”
And at his words a cry came from me

“Oh no, you can’t do that
For birds must be free!”

I spoke almost harshly
And my response surprised even me
But he must learn early
This little boy upon my knee

Of the need to be free
_______
These words were inspired by the word, freedom; which is this week's prompt at the hosting site of One Single Impression .

This photo was taken at Bois-de-L'ile Bizard in Montreal, 2006, and is a combination of two. When downloading the pictures from L'ile Bizard I was taken with the similarities of the path bordered by trees and of an early Vincent VanGogh print which I have. Several years ago I had bought a large sepia print, at a yard sale, of a VanGogh sketch which shows a man walking along a road bordered on both sides by tall, unleaved trees. The VanGogh sketch was the inspiration for placing the figures of the man and boy into the picture on the walking trail. The little boy in the photo was the inspiration for this poem. The photo of the man and boy was also taken at L'ile Bizard the same day.

17 comments:

bobbie said...

Love both the picture combination and the poem. Very moving.

Anonymous said...

The photo is wonderful! There seems to be someone else at the far end of the path, which I find compelling. Well done.

Anonymous said...

Good poem, and I agree!

SandyCarlson said...

Your poem reminds me of those images from nature in which the mother seems a bit harsh with her young--but out of a loving commitment and responsibility to teach the young to live well. Wonderful piece. Thanks.
Writing in Faith: Poems

Mary said...

Nice work on the photos...I would not have realized it was 2. The poem is very good also with a strong message.

STP said...

Bravo for the poem, but even more for the message.

Anonymous said...

..the saying goes that u teach a mom and u teach a family..wonderful,thank u..

Anonymous said...

Very creative and a wonderful message! Hopefully that little boy will see many birds in his lifetime flying free.

Sandpiper (Lin) said...

What a nice post this is! I love the pictures, poem, and your inspiration.

Raven said...

Wonderful poem - and very cool image you created.

I enjoyed looking at all your photos here. I'm especially envious of your sparrow photos. Try as I may, my camera and I just can't quite seem to get a good picture of the sparrows around here. They are always just too far away and blend in too well with their surroundings.

But I digress from your poem which I thought was lovely.

Anonymous said...

The photo reminds me of one that I took of my son walking with his grandfather (one of my favorites). I like the message of the poem-- if you capture "freedom" it is no longer "free". It is a hard lesson to learn.

LA Nickers said...

As a parent, I really liked this one.

The photo is wonderful too!


Blessings,
Linda

DRESS BLUES, at Nickers and Ink

Anonymous said...

I love this poem and think it is something everyone should believe in. Love the photo also.

Anonymous said...

Love your take on the prompt this week. I have had many moments exactly as this with all four of my children. Teaching our young to respect the freedom of others, is a wonderful contribution! Thank you.

Patois42 said...

Very compelling. I can relate mightily to it. And the image, and your description of it, is amazing.

Anonymous said...

No, it is not harsh. You did right!

voice of reason

indicaspecies said...

Superb poetry!