When Lady Liberty Wept

By Gary Corseri

“Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,” she recalled,

“With conquering limbs astride from land to land…”

And yet, even so, it had come to pass,

With every military base, with drones

Hovering everywhere, in the drowned dreams

Of exiles, “refuse,” “yearning to breathe free.”

 

And what freedom now in the Surveillance State

Where every thought was subject to review

And “newsmen” scurried to assess the threat

From hydra-headed, huddled masses—lost,

Renditioned, imprisoned, killed at the behest

Of elected, cowardly Pinocchios,—

Smiling before drug-induced amnesiacs?

 

They could not remember who they claimed to be;

Nor why; nor how it mattered to posterity.

Only a looming sense of dread embalmed

Them in a kind of amber ghosts might study

In the years ahead—if there were years… ahead.

And so, she wept… as some say Mother Mary weeps;

As some say Rachel wept for her lost children.

Copper-colored tears from cupreous eyes;

Copious tears from her iron skeleton.

 

And the wind blew the tears upon her torch.

And the light went out.

________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

By Gary Corseri © Copyright, 2013. Permission is granted for reprint in blog, or web media if this credit is attached and the title and contents remain unchanged. Gary Corseri has published novels, collections of poetry, and his dramas have appeared on Atlanta-PBS and elsewhere.  His work has appeared at periodicals and websites worldwide, and he has performed his work at the Carter Presidential Library.  gary_corseri@comcast.net.