It is a bucket list item she is crossing off.
Now. Today. June 28, 2025. She had waited
long enough. She is going. She purchases a
ticket. Packs her bags. Boards the plane.
She books an Uber as the plane lands. Heads
straight from the airport to New York Harbor.
There is no reason to put it off. She has to see
it for herself. Today. Now. June 28, 2025.
That bucket list item.
Extending skyward 305 feet there is no
missing it. Her. She. The Lady. The Lady
formerly known as Lady Liberty. The bucket
list item. There she stands. Today. June 28, 2025.
Occupying the same spot for 139 years. The Lady.
The Lady formerly known as Lady Liberty, gazes
out over the water. Her eyes search for boats, ships,
vessels filled with souls seeking love, support, opportunity.
She. Her. The Lady. The Lady formerly known
as Lady Liberty holds her ground firmly. Her
crown chipped, broken. Pressed into her bleeding
scalp. Muzzle across her swollen lips. Robe torn,
tattered, ripped at the neckline. The torch she extended
high and bright as a lighthouse for over a century lies
shattered near her shackled ankles. Today. Now. June 28, 2025.
She is no longer a beacon of hope. Her fist raised in rage overhead.
She is a warning. A silent scream.
Turn back. Now. Today. June 28, 2025. For those who land here
are not free. Those who live here are not free. Freedom does not
ring. Now. Today. June 28, 2025.
She. Her. The Lady.
The Lady formerly
known as Lady Liberty.
The bucket list item.
Has been crossed off.
Now. Today. June 28, 2025.
4 thoughts on "It is a bucket list item she is crossing off."
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Oh! This is a gut punch, Wendy! But I’m glad you get to see her in person. I did too, way back during my first trip to New York in 1977. The Stone Age. A different time in more ways than one.
Love how you embed the present reality with what she once symbolized “Her/crown chipped, broken. Pressed into her bleeding/scalp…….”
You are on fire in this poem!
There is an urgency here that’s hard to forget. I love the enjambed and directive tone you set from the get-go at “She had waited/long enough. She is going.”
Well done Wendy! No longer the home for the free!