The Statue of Liberty has fallen
By Rick Davis
Glenwood Springs
The Statue of Liberty has fallen
and lies broken and shattered,
partially submerged by the rising sea
of hatred and fear.
The well known words, enshrined on a plaque
have crumbled.
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Simple words on a three by four foot plaque.
Were these words ever true?
Certainly not words etched in the hearts
of many Americans, those who rejected
the influx of immigrants.
The words that strike deeper “tempest-tost”
mean overwhelmed, pounded repeatedly
by storms or adversity.
Women,
People of Color
LGBTQ
People with Disabilities
Poor people
and various religions
have recently lost their right to be counted.
You are not worthy.
That is our message to them.
The Statue of Liberty has fallen
It’s promise has been broken
The vision of the American Dream
has sunk in a sea of hate and fear.