The Cost Of Freedom. by: Sahid Kanu Poem by Sahid Alhaji Kanu

The cost of freedom,
was me.
The parts I gave away to fit,
The silence I wore to keep the peace,
The truth I buried just to breathe.

It cost the nights I couldn't sleep,
The dreams I trimmed to make others proud.
The voice I softened in crowded rooms,
And the tears I hid behind the loud.

Freedom wasn't given—
I had to break for it.
Lose friends, lose favor,
shed skin and shame, stand alone and still not quit.

It cost the version they wanted me to be,
for the one I finally saw in me.
Not polished, not perfect—
but real and free.

Now I carry scars, not regrets.
Because the price was high, but I paid in full— for a life that finally fits my soul.