From the earliest years—
before language settled into meaning—
freedom was named to me
as something I possessed.
Not something I encountered,
not something I tested,
but something already mine—
like breath,
like being.
Yet I was not asked to begin.
I arrived—
already inside a structure:
a body I did not design,
a name I did not choose,
a history already waiting
to explain me to myself.
They called it guidance—
the shaping of a child.
But shaping implies softness.
This was inscription.
What to eat.
How to speak.
What is right, what is wrong.
What is worthy of love—
and what must be hidden to receive it.
And slowly, without rupture,
the external became internal.
Now the command arrives
before the awareness of it.
A thought forms—
unannounced, uninvited—
and only after
does the mind step forward to claim it:
“This was my will.”
But what is authorship
if the sentence writes itself
before the author appears?
What is choice
if every preference is preceded
by a cause I did not choose?
Temperament.
Memory.
Fear.
Desire.
An inheritance of invisible forces
moving beneath the surface
of what I call “I.”
I was taught restraint—
to absorb harm without returning it,
to translate injury into virtue,
to rename silence as strength.
And when I obey,
I say: this is my character.
But character itself—
is it chosen,
or merely continued?
At every stage,
the illusion refines itself.
It does not deny constraint—
it rebrands it.
“You are free,” it says,
while narrowing the field
of what can be thought
without consequence.
Speak—
and be corrected.
Act—
and be defined.
Withdraw—
and be diminished.
Every response interpreted,
every deviation named,
until even resistance
begins to follow a pattern
that was anticipated in advance.
And still—
the language of freedom remains.
Perhaps that is its most precise form:
not the absence of limits,
but the inability to perceive them
as anything but choice.
We are instructed in morality,
rewarded for alignment,
disciplined for deviation—
and told this is justice.
But the obedient and the defiant
arrive at the same conclusion:
an unmarked end,
indifferent to intention.
So what, then, is will?
A force?
An illusion?
A narrative stitched after the fact
to preserve coherence?
I cannot say.
I only observe this:
there are movements—
decisions, actions, turns—
but whether they are free
or merely felt as free
remains unresolved.
And perhaps that uncertainty
is the only honest freedom
available to us.
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142,479 Literary Works • 678,037 Reviews
This is a really interesting take on a very philosophical question that you've explored in a pretty personal way: how much of who we are and what we choose is actually ours, and how much has been shaped by things outside our control?
To be honest, I've actually thought about this too.
Its cool how right at the start, you start with the beginning of our lives, and how even then we are placed into situations and circumstances we dont choose like out bodies, names, families, histories, and the expectation around and on us.
and then you take it further, and it becomes not just external, but an internal belief, and we start making decisions based on things we've observed without even realizing it and we claim "this was my will".
And then we begin to question whether our actions are genuinely our own choices or whether they're shaped by our experiences and instincts.
The end is so interesting, how the narrator cant determine whether the decisions are genuine or just feel free. Then that uncertainty itself becomes a possible form of freedom.
Absolutely incredible! Good job!
Thank you for taking the time to read and engage with this, flower (sorry it took a while to respond).
It's interesting that you've thought about this too, because I think it's one of those questions that quietly follows us around, even when we're not consciously entertaining it. And yes, in a pretty personal way. As I've told you before, 99% of my writing is lived experience. I then put it into perspective, contrast it with other ideas, and deconstruct it in my head.
What fascinates me is how much of what we consider our identity, our convictions, our preferences, even our morality, might be the product of things we never had a say in. And at what point do these influences become so internalised that we can no longer distinguish them from ourselves?
I didn't necessarily intend to arrive at a definitive conclusion. I think the uncertainty is part of the question itself. Perhaps the most honest thing we can do is acknowledge how little we know about the origins of our own will.
Thanks, flower. Your review almost feels like we're sitting across from each other dissecting the poem lol.
You're very good at this. ❤
I really appreciate your reading of it.
Hi, Dragonight here to review this deep work of thought.
I love these kinds of deep topics that have no agreed upon answer. I have also thought on the idea of freedom and free will but I will save those comments for the end.
I liked the clear progression of your story as your explored ever deeper ideas on what freedom is within yourself and society. What shapes and confines or directs your choices.
I found each paragraph had a clear idea that was eloquently put and described the concept well. Each concept was connected and flowed well into the next. I saw no flaws in your reasoning though the fact this aspect made it into my review tells me a lot about what your style of writing invoked in me as a reader.
This is both beautiful as a poem and convincing as a peer reviewed document. I love how you have interwoven the two in such a unique way.
I saw no issues with grammar, spelling or format. You chose a good medium to express your ideas.
In summery, as a piece of writing I found it flawless. I enjoyed reading it very much. Both the topic and form of your writing were exquisite. If I were to compare it to something it would be a crisp clear drink of sparkling water.
Well done
With the real review finishing there I would love to express a few of my own thoughts on Free Will if you would indulge me.
In my mind we always have choice though what we can choose may not always be within our control. For example, a prisoner may chose to give up and wallow in despair or spend his time in prayer and meditation. He is not free, yet he still has free will.
Others may define us but we can choose every day to act in accordance with their beliefs or not. Who we are to ourselves and who others think we are is often very different. Yet at the same time I appreciate that society and culture shape the beliefs that inform our choices, what is right and wrong as you mentioned.
The biggest choice I believe we make is who we choose to serve with our lives. We can choose to serve ourselves (desires, drives and feelings), we can serve another person, belief, or society in general. Or we can serve God.
Does the fact we serve someone/something mean that we are not free? I can't decide that for you. However, I think that it is better to know who I serve than to believe I serve no one in a desperate bid for freedom.
For what is free will if not the ability to chose how you live your life and for whom?
First, thank you for taking the time to read and engage with my work. I appreciate you sharing your own thoughts on the subject because it gives me another perspective to consider. To bring out your time and take the piece apart bit by bit, I take off my hat. 🎩
I find your example of the prisoner interesting, especially the distinction between being free and still possessing the ability to make choices. However, I think this is where my understanding of free will begins to differ slightly. I don't necessarily dispute that we make choices, but I find myself questioning how much freedom there is in the things that inform those choices. A prisoner may choose prayer over despair, but what informs that preference in the first place? What makes him choose one over the other? Those invisible forces I talked about in my piece: his upbringing, experiences, beliefs, temperament and perhaps even the circumstances that brought him there. I'm not suggesting that these things make his decision meaningless, but rather questioning whether the decision is entirely independent of them.
I also find your thoughts on choosing whom to serve interesting, particularly the idea that perhaps freedom isn't necessarily about serving nobody, but understanding and consciously choosing what we serve.
There's something compelling about that. However, I wonder whether even that conscious decision is entirely our own. What informs our understanding of God, society, morality or even our own desires? How much of what we eventually identify as our personal convictions was already introduced to us before we were capable of questioning them?
I am a firm believer in Christ myself, crazy, right? But I think even the things we consider conscious decisions are often products of influences we may not fully recognise. Our faith, for instance, doesn't develop in isolation. There are circumstances, encounters, teachings and experiences that shape the way we come to understand and embrace it.
I suppose my argument isn't that we have no choices, but that the existence of choices doesn't necessarily establish the existence of free will. We may have the ability to choose between available alternatives, but how much control do we have over the forces that shape what we consider desirable, acceptable or even worth choosing?
That said, I deliberately left the piece unresolved because I don't think I have a definitive answer either. Perhaps there is a distinction between having the ability to make decisions and possessing absolute freedom over the conditions that produce them.
I love how you brought morality and religion into the discussion. It opens up another dimension of the subject that I hadn't explicitly explored in the piece.
I enjoyed reading your perspective, and I think your final question is worth sitting with. Thank you again for such a thoughtful review!
Thank you for your thoughtful reply.
It is my personal belief (and I think you may agree) that regardless of those hidden forces that shape us, God draws his children to himself and those he has chosen will find their way into his arms.
(this opens a whole other debate about whether God's free will overrides ours but we don't need to get into that, lol)
Haha, now you've introduced another interesting dimension to the discussion! I suppose we could spend another few pages exploring the relationship between divine sovereignty and human free will.
I understand where you're coming from, though. And as a believer myself, I find the idea of God's sovereignty fascinating. However, I can't help but wonder whether being drawn towards God, even if we accept that premise, further complicates the question of free will rather than resolves it.
If our eventual return to Him is already within His divine will, where exactly does our own agency come into play? Is it in our response to that calling, or even that response is influenced by something beyond us?
I think I'll leave that question there before we end up writing another poem entirely.
Thank you again for indulging my thoughts!
Hello
Your poetry caught my attention through the emotions and imagery woven into each verse. I could envision your words being brought to life through a series of connected illustrations, with each scene flowing naturally into the next and reflecting the poem’s evolving mood.
As a professional commission-based artist, I create custom paid artwork that transforms written ideas into visual experiences. I would love to explore a concept where every 2–4 lines or verse inspires a new illustration, creating a continuous visual journey alongside your poetry.
If this idea interests you, I would be happy to discuss the possibilities and help you explore a concept that suits your vision and budget.
Discord: inksbyeve
Instagram: @inkkfinity
Best wishes,
Eve