I need a poem about the paradox of freedom and security in living
one's life.  I'm not interested in poems about political freedom and
security but rather spiritual and psychological freedom and security.

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 31 Aug 2003 11:24 PDT

This is an interesting subject. Feedback from you would be most
helpful. Perhaps if you could give us one example of the sort of poem
that would meet your needs, we'd be better able to assist you.

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Clarification of Question by durangoskier-ga on 01 Sep 2003 16:34 PDT

I wish I could, however, that is why I asked the question. :) 
Actually my wife is the one who needs this information and poem for a
retreat that she is doing.  I think I had better close the question
because she is out of town and I'm afraid it's too vague.  I
appreciate everyone's time and suggestions.  Sincerely, DS

One poem that comes to mind is Maya Angelou's "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings":

http://www.ctadams.com/mayaangelou5.html

Pete Bellotte's "Cage of Freedom" makes a powerful poetic statement
about freedom and security. This is an excerpt:

Cage of freedom
That's our prison
Where the jailer and captive combine
Cage of freedom
Cast in power
All the trappings of our own design...

Cage of freedom, growing smaller
'Til every wall now touches the skin
Cage of freedom, filled with treason
Changing sides as the losses begin
Our suspicion tries escaping
But they step up the security
There's no exit--there's no entrance
Remember how we swallowed the key?
Cage of freedom, that's our prison
We fabricated this world on our own....

Here you will find the complete text:

http://www.yesworld.com/lyrics/CageOfFreedom.html

Another possibility, a poem called "Invisible Cages Locked from
Within":

http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:WqFWMLzWJiQJ:www.allpoetry.com/click/47780/amt%3D7

And here's one I wrote myself, during the brief time when I was divorced:

STATUTE OF LIBERTY

"Divorced? So, you're a free woman?" hoots
My mother's friend, slapping her ample thighs 
With mock laughter as she shoots
Darts at me from her boring narrow eyes.
Free? Not on your tintype, Miss.
Freedom's just another word
For nothing left to lose, as old Kris
Told us, like Lynyrd Skynyrd's free bird
Which cannot change; this
"Free woman" crap may be all the rage,
But my untethered heart files a protest:
The aloneness you call freedom, at best, 
Is just another cage.

Nice poems all, especially Maya Angelou. There's a lady who knows a
thing or two about freedom and security.