Lady In The Harbor

she is just the Statue of Liberty to us
she doesn’t have a name of her own

we stole her name
when she entered the harbor

no “I am…”
for her

no sense of herself
to fall back on

so many names were stolen
from so many

but names
what do they matter

the Statue of Liberty
was born to watch over

things other than identity
wasn’t she

there are times when she wishes
she could run the streets of New York City

calling out for the ghosts of those she let pass
saying “Maria Gunther Luisa Michael

I remember who you were
when we met”

hoping one would turn
and say

“yes I remember you
with your lamp and your crown

your name was…”

she thinks this way
whenever the pressure of being forgotten

becomes too much
to hold in silence

she wants to lie down and sleep
one good night’s rest might help her remember

she thinks she might have been French
before we turned her turned into something new

she never wanted to be iconic
if it meant forgetting who she was