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
Dark Matter 