So Stands She

 Far east, where America began
Stands a woman, tall, cast in bronze,
Her image looming large among the populace.
Where she stands, there is hope, hope for a world
Free of the strife and pain of old.
So stands she, a symbol of old hope,
So stands she, a symbol of new promises. 

Across the United states, over roads
Ill kept by the masses,
People traveled, in carts and on foot,
Driven by the promise of freedom.
Back east, the cities grew,
Forests of green replaced
First with stone, then with concrete and steel.
A new promise was made,
A promise for prosperity
And wealth for all.

As a symbol of that promise
A statue was built
With a name no one remembers.
But underneath the bright exterior
Anger and disunity grew
Until a spark ignited a fire so large
Everything in its path was destroyed.

We fought,
We killed,
We tried to rebuild,
And in the end we forgot everything we had learned.

But a symbol loomed large in our consciousness,
And soon all the world was consumed
By a desire for a better life. 

The west filled up,
But people kept moving.
Driven by the old promise
That one day, one shining day,
They would have a place in this great land.
People grew up praising the flag, 
And brought their children up to do the same.
If anyone criticized their great land, 
They were told, "People in glass houses
Shouldn't throw stones."
 
And back east, where America began, she still stands
Waiting for the hope she was promised.

So stands she, an image of America
That America can't seem to live up to.
So stands she, a lie told for so long
We believe it to be real.

So stands she, a symbol of 
What makes America strong
And what will break it apart one day.
She is a promise, that we would do better,
That we wouldn't repeat our mistakes,
That we would welcome all who needed our help.
But no symbol, no matter how strong,
Can stop human cruelty and ignorance.