' Libertas ' by David Hall

Is it the shores of Jersey or New York?
on which Lady Liberty
succumbs to the sand and seas
pulled under by the lulling riptide
a victim of greedy lawyers
corrupt judges
and dirty politicians
working in sadistic harmony
each one doing their part to relink
a chain that once lay broken at her feet.

Pounded at times by overwhelming waves
eroding her foundation
sinking into the clutching sands
reminiscent of her country
sinking into the clutches of useless laws
countless memorandums
banal writs
baseless lawsuits
each one of these another unseen chain.

Symbolic of Libertas
Roman goddess of freedom
worshipped my emancipated slaves
a French gift
to the American people
the Americas
melting pot of the world
once we accepted all the huddled masses
now our masses are boiling in various hatreds
hatred
a loathsome airborne pathogen
that must be eliminated worldwide.
starting with me
and you.

Our Statue of Liberty’s tears fall unseen
as she looks across the fruited plains
of this country of me
her pleas unheard in the land of the not so free
as the sheeple
texts and bebops along
to their own destruction.

Our Lady of Liberty’s eyes weep
looking upon the desperate mother
slinging plates by day
whoring herself by night
to feed her hungry babies
while the opulent dine
in excess off naked models.

in her desperate hour
she does what she must
to survive each day
at night she gathers
solace in the arms of her babies
hungry and needy
that hunger and need drives her on.

Our Robed Lady’s ears bleed
hearing the wails of the huddled homeless
being mugged in Central Park
the jogger being robbed in Detroit
a young actress being raped in Hollywood
the bodybuilder overdosing in Miami
even in Mayberry a store clerk
killed for $75 dollars
while MTV and video games
glamorizes it all to our kids.

“Stars” autotune their wailing
cuss their women
insult each other
and call it music
expecting the masses
to keep paying for this shit
our eyes and ears bleed too
as the media cover this 24 7
while they gloss over the real news.

Our Mother of Exile’s arms reach out
to pull the over medicated kid
into her bosom
as he is walking through life
like a zombie
instead of enjoying it in youthful zest
while his parents pop pills
to put up with each other
and for every imagined ache and pain.

Our Grand Lady still stands
though chaos reigns supreme
she stands
tall and dignified
proud and strong
to the end
to the bitter sinking end.

She is chained by unseen bonds
yet she stands tall and defiant
raising her torch high
against all odds
against all these chains
believing in her people
believing in hope
as she sinks down
sinking like the blind truths we hold on to.