My Freedom

by Kevin Hester

My freedom tastes like freshly baked bread from Benny’s Deli
My freedom looks like the skyline at sunset
My freedom smells like evergreen trees dancing in the breeze
My freedom feels like playing football on a summer day
My freedom sounds like tumultuous applause after winning a county final
My freedom is most at home relaxing with my friends relaxing with my friends
No judgement, no fear just laughter fun and banter
Chasing our dreams, living our best lives
100 years after the war 100 years after so much sacrifice and death.

Written as part of Poetry as Commemoration workshops for Transition Years led by Terry McDonagh and Mary Melvin Geoghegan in Castlerea Community School, Roscommon, in  October 2023.