WHO IS FREE

Looking through the windows of life,

I have seen the many faces of humanity.

Some laugh with open hearts.

Some carry storms behind their smiles.

Some have mastered the art

of pretending they are whole.

And I wonder

Who is true?

Who is happy?

Who is free?

Every dawn arrives

with a different burden.

Some wake to chase their daily bread.

Some inherit comfort,

yet hunger for peace.

Some possess riches beyond measure,

yet cannot afford a quiet mind.

Tears often fall

from eyes that still know how to smile.

The strongest hearts

are sometimes the most wounded.

The brightest faces

can hide the darkest nights.

So tell me

Who is true?

Who is happy?

Who is free?

The race is not between

the rich and the poor,

nor the broken and the whole.

The greatest battle

is the one no eye can witness

the war between appearance and truth,

between fear and freedom,

between surviving

and truly living.

At the end,

we all stand before the same silence.

Titles will fade.

Wealth will remain behind.

Applause will grow quiet.

Only the life we lived,

the love we gave,

and the truth we carried

will answer the question

Who was free?

Ohunenese O. Israel