Bound / Free: A Poetic Exploration of Love and Freedom

Poetry has a way of capturing even the most complex emotions of humankind with even the simplest lines. The distinctive quality of this poem is in its ability to be read both forward and backward, as each direction offers subtle shifts in tone and interpretation underscoring the depth of its themes.

Bound / Free

With you, I feel anchored, whole and true,
In every quiet breath, my world’s in view.
A life fulfilled, complete in your light,
Where shadows fade, giving way to night.

Each word you speak, a gentle call,
I rise each day, afraid to fall.
In dreams we dance, as stars align,
Yet in your arms, my bounds confine.

To drift apart feels empty and strange,
For you’re my home—unchanging, unchanged.
Yet I wonder, in love’s endless tide,
Is there more, where dreams reside?

I cherish all I’ve come to know,
Though silent doubts within me grow.
For freedom whispers, soft and sly,
A call that pulls like an open sky.

Perhaps in distance, I’ll come to see,
The one I am, untamed, and free.
But close to you, I’ve made my vow,
Forever here, contented now.

It is in the reading of this poem backward that it really delivers the theme of freedom. The reverse turns the work into a meditation on self and independence, love not an imprisonment, but a choice-a conscious commitment in spite of the beguiling song of freedom. It's a reminder that commitment doesn't have to negate independence and that, sometimes, the boundaries we choose are the ones which will allow us to find true freedom.