Colossus Crushes the Caged Bird

Colossus Crushes the Caged Bird

Colossus Crushes the Caged Bird 1920 1326 Raisa Elhadi

give me your
give me your
your tired
– tired – tired – a long hot walk –
tired – your eyelids drooping – the swimming desert – your last few steps – you’re tired
give me your tired / your poor
your poor – souls? poor poor souls – bodies – your tired poor bodies
last dollars to the dogs –
long-fingered coyotes – their hands –
cold sweat / hot night / dark night on their hands / and the one who carries you to freedom holds your tit in his hands / your poor –
(give me the ones who can pay the application fees)
give me your tired your poor your huddled masses yearning to breathe free
free?
breathe free
breathe air / no air in the desert / no air in the cage / in the cage / breathe free / ?
yearning to breathe free –
the wretched refuse of your shithole countries
give me your tired – poor – wretched / no air in the cage – breathe free
send these, the homeless!
the homeless! send them to the cage!
the tempest-tost! no air in the desert!
the tempest / the desert / desert-tost / send them to the cage
yearning to breathe free /
I lift my lamp beside the prison door!

Header photograph © Lannie Stabile.

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2 Comments
  • Rochelle Jewel Shapiro 03/07/2019 at 6:50 pm

    This collage of Emma Goldman’s poem and Hinkie’s passionate words make this the most important poem I’ve read on the refugees fleeing to our Southern border. Thank you for this.

  • Alyson Hinkie 02/25/2019 at 9:03 am

    This is devastating, true, brave, and desperately needed. Thank you.

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