Carrying the Torch

We are the tired, the poor

at one time elevated

now we’re denigrated;

we watch the “disillusionist”

slam our front door.

Where are the promises

that called to our elders

who risked life and limb

to come to this shore?

Who raised up their families

despite any hardship,

now find they are ‘pink-slipped’

and welcome no more.

We need to get back to the basics once promised

we need to return to the truth at our core

where hard work’s rewarded

where cheating is thwarted

where bullshit and liars are shunned and ignored

She stands in the harbor, where some call her ‘Lady’

yet others are known to have called her a “whore”

this symbol of “Liberty“ who welcomes the masses,

this emblem of all who have come here before.

Hold high your lamp, oh, Symbol of Freedom!

Call out the losers, and those who’d abhor…

Remind them our strength is not just in numbers

but in our allegiance for all we stand for!

Remind us stand tall, and help the afflicted

ravaged by hunger, by thirst, or by war.

Help us remember that we are their beacons;

and that trust only comes when you build a rapport.

Just like all families, sometimes we bicker,

yet when push comes to shove we are hard to ignore;

for we’re so much better when we stand together

diverse but united, our country endures.

© Ginny Brannan 2017