I am the daughter of an immigrant, who arrived at Ellis Island, having -- like Jane Yolen's ancestors -- survived pogroms and near-starvation, but whose life was now filled with hope. Let that same light shine for future generations!
By author and poet Jane Yolen: Listening to Donald Trump’s major speech against immigrants yesterday, I wrote this. You have my permission to share it but the © MUST be appended.
Lifting the Lamp, Locking the Door
I am the daughter, the granddaughter
of immigrants, fleeing the pogroms,
not all of my relatives
of high moral character.
But the lamp was lifted for us.
My professor husband’s Irish folk
fled the famines on coffin ships.
They counted cheats, grifters,
drunkards among them.
But the lamp was lifted for them.
And now Trump trims and dims those lamps,
threatens to turn them off at the source,
to send the Lady home to France,
an immigrant like the rest of us.
Slam the door, his followers chant.
Slam the goddamn golden door.
©2016 Jane Yolen all rights reserved, shared by permission only
By author and poet Jane Yolen: Listening to Donald Trump’s major speech against immigrants yesterday, I wrote this. You have my permission to share it but the © MUST be appended.
Lifting the Lamp, Locking the Door
I am the daughter, the granddaughter
of immigrants, fleeing the pogroms,
not all of my relatives
of high moral character.
But the lamp was lifted for us.
My professor husband’s Irish folk
fled the famines on coffin ships.
They counted cheats, grifters,
drunkards among them.
But the lamp was lifted for them.
And now Trump trims and dims those lamps,
threatens to turn them off at the source,
to send the Lady home to France,
an immigrant like the rest of us.
Slam the door, his followers chant.
Slam the goddamn golden door.
©2016 Jane Yolen all rights reserved, shared by permission only
No comments:
Post a Comment