Freedom (Jan 1939)
Thank God in England we have got free speech
Free thought, free will, and no dictator roars
Shouting his vain ambitions in our ears.
Freedom of speech, of thought and will, we’re proud
Of having them and pity those without.
Yet we don’t talk with strangers or exchange
Opinions – if we have them – save with friends
And they don’t listen. We are free to think,
But what time is there now-a-days for thought
Have we not cinemas and clubs and books,
Have we not wireless for the leisure hour?
And is the loafer, propped for hours on end
Against a lampost, heartened by the thought
That he has freedom to do what he wills
Although maybe a little handicapped
By empty pockets and no chance to fill them?
Yes, we are free in England. Can’t we make
A better use of freedom while it lasts?
Margaret Taylor Jan. 1939