Born Free

By: Rehema Kibugi, Kenya

Born free you are,

uncontrollable and wild.

Not to be stuck in the shackles of false destiny.

Free to exist,

to live.

To dance in the wind,

to feel the sunlight, smell the damp soil moistened by the rain,

and hear the birds sing their sweet song.

You live your life unrestrained,

but they never cease to judge you.

To criticize your way of life,

when it’s the only life you know.

They try to fit you into their tiny box of perfection,

lock you up, when your home is where the birds sing.

They show you off to their kind as if you are some kind of possession,

an object, not living and breathing just like them.

And when they want something from you,

they pry you open, and steal part of you.

Their greed blinds them from the life of innocence they have taken.

Despite all of this, you live life to the fullest.

You live it as you own,

and not anyone else’s to plan for you

For if you were born free,

You should live free too.

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This poem is based on the story of Joy Adamson and Elsa the Lioness. Joy’s great passion for animal conservation has impacted Kenya’s wildlife conservation practices to date.