Gershon Wolf Poet Rhyme

Lady Liberty Sheds a Tear

The Lady has a tear in her eye
   It douses the flame of her torch
Whose sparks perish on her lifeless gown
   Its greenery scarred, now a desolate brown

As the specter of nativism stalks her land
   As strangers are branded 'undesirable,' and banned --
Recall what made America so great (again)
   Was the raw energy of newcomers way back when

our floodgates opened wide to receive the tide
   of ill-clothed, ill-fed dreamers, possessed of pride
to come here, and scratch and claw their way to our table,
   to prove their worth, to show that they were able

to compete and make it in this Promised Land --
   from which their spiritual descendants are now to be banned

♡Like0

Share Poem

---

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Carolyn Devonshire December 26, 2018 at 10:43 PM By the time my uncle's family came to the U.S. newcomers did have to be sponsored. However, that rule goes back only so far. There was a time when everyone was welcomed without sponsors. The image of Lady Liberty crying is one I have thought of a lot lately, Gershon, and you wrote well of the problems that exist now. There isn't time to get sponsors for all of the people fleeing violence in Central and South America. We need new rules for these tough times. Gershon Wolf December 27, 2018 at 3:05 PM Perhaps we can say that our politicians refusal to resolve the immigration problem has brought us to where we are today... with no end in sight. Shed another tear...

Kim Rodrigues December 26, 2018 at 10:01 PM I don’t think they were open wide. Someone had to sponsor the newcomers and they were also checked to see if they were free of illness and more. We need to improve our system. Americans need to work together. All for immigration but done in the right way...stupid politics. No one is doing what’s right. A brainstormed answer - probably a c- ;) Love our neighbors...politicians boo! Gershon Wolf December 27, 2018 at 3:03 PM A pox on both parties. This issue could have been solved a long, long time ago if there had been any desire to do so....