{"id":1482,"date":"2015-02-21T02:58:36","date_gmt":"2015-02-21T02:58:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/?p=1482"},"modified":"2015-02-21T02:58:58","modified_gmt":"2015-02-21T02:58:58","slug":"reflections-on-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/reflections-on-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on Freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&quot;Reflections on Freedom&quot; - PREDA Foundation, Phillipine Human Rights\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OfjRYLvN7-w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>This poem was written as for the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/blog-preda-fundraiser-at-open-heart-house\/\" title=\"Tullamore Rhymers at Open Heart House\">PREDA Fundraiser<\/a> for Fr. Shay Cullen in Open Heart House in Dublin back in 2011. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Everybody desires freedom<br \/>\nOf culture, faith and their land<br \/>\nAnd blood is spilled where some have willed<br \/>\nThat forced on others be what they\u2019ve planned<br \/>\nAnd in that fight for freedom<br \/>\nAs by them it is seen<br \/>\nOthers freedom to exist is ignored<br \/>\nCrushed by another\u2019s dream.<\/p>\n<p>But as Connolly said, that\u2019s just for banners<br \/>\nThe emblems change, tyranny the same<br \/>\nThe fight to be free may as well not be<br \/>\nIf its only for freedom in name.<br \/>\nFor the freedom for poverty is forgotten<br \/>\nThe fight for folk is to merely exist<br \/>\nAnd flags fluttering may give a sense of pride<br \/>\nBut the point of freedom is missed.<\/p>\n<p>And poverty drives crime which thrives<br \/>\nAmong others who see no other way to succeed<br \/>\nSome sell sex on the street to make ends meet<br \/>\nAnd pimps manage them out of greed.<br \/>\nAnd these people we forget, have souls hopes and dreams<br \/>\nShattered by the men they supply<br \/>\nWith the sex they crave and pay for<br \/>\nWith each one the prostitutes souls die.<\/p>\n<p>And, though lesser known than in Thailand<br \/>\nSome of those selling are very young<br \/>\nUsed and abused, dignity refused<br \/>\nThe ones below life\u2019s\u2019 bottom rung.<br \/>\nAnd they, mere children deserve freedom:<br \/>\nMore than any flag, faith or notion can give<br \/>\nSex for them aught to be something to giggle about innocently with friends<br \/>\nNot a fact of life they daily have to live.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This poem was written as for the PREDA Fundraiser for Fr. Shay Cullen in Open Heart House in Dublin back in 2011. Everybody desires freedom Of culture, faith and their land And blood is spilled where some have willed That forced on others be what they\u2019ve planned And in that &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[217,446,108,6],"tags":[307,1681,1682],"class_list":["post-1482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cause-for-pause","category-moral","category-philippines","category-video-poetry","tag-phillipines","tag-preda","tag-shay-cullen","column","twocol"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7EI4f-nU","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1474,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/blog-preda-fundraiser-at-open-heart-house\/","url_meta":{"origin":1482,"position":0},"title":"Tullamore Rhymers at Open Heart House","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"13th August 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"The organizer and MC kicks off the event.Yesterday, I had the privilege of giving one poem as a contribution to an arts evening in aid of Fr. Shay Cullens PREDA foundation in the Phillipines. Fr. Shay Cullens work against the trafficking and the bars featuring under age sex workers is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net\/hphotos-ak-xfa1\/v\/t1.0-9\/s180x540\/185456_2196321902078_3154179_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1422,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/a-march-of-fools\/","url_meta":{"origin":1482,"position":1},"title":"A March of Fools","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"1st June 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Every July Drums beat Chests proud To fife and drum For freedom of faith And a battle won By one for that freedom As by them it is seen. All forget that When he fought for their freedom He did not fight To oppress the Catholics. And every July He\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Non Rhyming Poems&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Non Rhyming Poems","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/non-rhyming-poems\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1221,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/let-us-remember-this-november\/","url_meta":{"origin":1482,"position":2},"title":"Let Us Remember This November","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"12th November 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"This day we all remember As we are asked to and yet It seems our own who faught for their own land We are asked to forget. Tom Kettle: a hugely popular teacher at UCD Free Gallant Little Belgium That raped Africa to the bone And fight the Kaiser for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;1916 Easter Rising&quot;","block_context":{"text":"1916 Easter Rising","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/irelands-wars\/1916-easter-rising\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2546,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/civilians-slain-an-empire-saved\/","url_meta":{"origin":1482,"position":3},"title":"Civilians Slain &#8211;  An Empire Saved","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"10th February 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The sight of the Dillon family emerging from their house waving a white flag in Moore Street being shot down by snipers \/ machine gunners of the British Army on the roof of the Rotunda is what convinced Pearse that it was time to surrender to prevent more civilian casualties.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;1916 Easter Rising&quot;","block_context":{"text":"1916 Easter Rising","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/irelands-wars\/1916-easter-rising\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"General James P Cullen speaking at Offaly Historical Society about the Easter 1916 Rebellion","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/General-James-P-Cullen-speaking-at-Offaly-Historical-Society-about-the-Easter-1916-Rebellion.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/General-James-P-Cullen-speaking-at-Offaly-Historical-Society-about-the-Easter-1916-Rebellion.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/General-James-P-Cullen-speaking-at-Offaly-Historical-Society-about-the-Easter-1916-Rebellion.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/General-James-P-Cullen-speaking-at-Offaly-Historical-Society-about-the-Easter-1916-Rebellion.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2562,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/chicago-may\/","url_meta":{"origin":1482,"position":4},"title":"Chicago May &#8211; the Mary Ann Duignan Story&#8230;","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"18th February 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Not for her the toil of the cold hard soil The neighbours angry word, the calling agent of the landlord The cries of hungry children and roars of drunken men The cattle bearing the ribbonmens sword: a mother of many with more on board Her? She saught freedom. She\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;North Longford&quot;","block_context":{"text":"North Longford","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/north-longford\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Court sketch of Chicago May on trial in 1907","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Chicago-May-on-trial-in-1907.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Chicago-May-on-trial-in-1907.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Chicago-May-on-trial-in-1907.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4621,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/remembering-ballinamuck-and-the-rebels-who-died\/","url_meta":{"origin":1482,"position":5},"title":"Remembering Ballinamuck and the Rebels Who Died","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"26th February 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Remembering the Irish who died at the Battle of Ballinamuck","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Stack of turf in Edenmore Bog with Cairn Hill in background in North Longford","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Stack-of-turf-in-Edenmore-Bog-with-Cairn-Hill-in-background-in-North-Longford.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1482"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1483,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1482\/revisions\/1483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}