Poem
Saving Liberty
A sonnet for her murky days in the harbor.
Brimming with gusto, intrigued and beguiled,
I search for the tall Lady the world craves.
There! the éminence grise tirelessly waves,
her arms sweeping welcome to Idlewild.
She perseveres, striding forth sandals-soled,
soaring on an eleven-pointed star,
an old-stone plinth for freedom ringing far
— she wasn’t fashioned from a delicate mold.
Crowned, she cradles a tablet days and nights,
asserts the date she shed shackle and chain.
Nowadays selfish scions spurn her reign.
Prevail, young Americans! Stifle slights
and counter jabs from nationalists
who taint the copper veiled as alchemists.
After Emma Lazarus’ sonnet, The New Colossus (1883). An earlier version of this poem was submitted for The Emma Lazarus Project poetry contest at the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) in the summer of 2020. The prompt was, “If You Could Write a Poem For The Statue of Liberty Today What Would You Say?”
* The accompanying cartoon, “Lady Liberty, ‘I’m still standing,’” first appeared in Liza Donnelly’s post, Root Causes (Jan 7, 2022). Used here with permission from the artist.
Readers note: Idlewild was the original name of the international airport in New York City before it was renamed for John F. Kennedy, soon after his assassination in 1963.
