Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame
With conquering limbs astride from land to land . . .
~ Emma Lazarus
As we opened drawers in my mother’s kitchen,
helping her pack boxes & clean crumbs the years
had left behind, I found it.
I saw myself at 21 with my future husband & my parents
standing in front of the Statue of Liberty,
wind from the ocean blowing in our hair.
My sister had snapped the picture, capturing
the last weekend of a summer marked
by separation, my then boyfriend in Ohio
working two jobs, me with my family in Jersey.
This trip was my parents’ treat when he came east.
Here, smiles struck genuine poses
amid laughter at some joke told,
as Bartholdi’s copper lady
rose green & golden behind us.
No one could dream what was to come.
My mother, Sharpie in hand,
asked, What happened to that happy-
go-lucky guy? When did he become so mean?
Lightning struck beneath my ribs.
I knew what land his conquering limbs explored.
But look, my niece then said.
The twin towers are in the background!
And though we wanted greater distance,
the rest of the story drew near,
showcasing itself in the museum
of our terror-tossed times.
–
Julie L. Moore is the author of four poetry collections, including, most recently, Full Worm Moon, which won a 2018 Woodrow Hall Top Shelf Award and received honorable mention for the Conference on Christianity and Literature’s 2018 Book of the Year Award.