Mother of Exiles



Dear Mother of Exiles
Your attempt at taking in the exiled
has failed
many lost, many found
the found are now lost
and the lost have found
power in degrading others
Others with different colors
of skin and hair and eyes
others whom were once scared
now terrified even under
your rule

mother who really rules?
Is it you
or the powerful white male figures
who torment and torture
those of other races
and genders and types
those who need help seek light
only to find dark in the promised safety
only to find the lost still lost
and the found are found jumping off cliffs in pain

Mother, what have we done?
We have let the rich and powerful take us
take our huddled masses made safe
take them and scare them
Make the once un-oppressed oppressed
make the many shapes of humanity unseen
make them scared to be seen

Mother, what happened?
We say we are fine,
Our military sure is.
But inside our schools are
crumbling just like the students
We now are the huddled masses
Can you see us?

Mother where are you now?
When the Hispanics, Latinos, queers, and Asians need you?
You say you stand tall
Do you look at our many states?
Tennessee, Texas,
Louisiana, and Alabama?
No!
 you only stand blind
blind to our pain
blind to our life

About this poem

It is a piece based upon the Statue of Liberty in the United States.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on June 04, 2016

Submitted by victoriamdays on October 21, 2021

Modified on March 17, 2023

1:08 min read
10

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXABACCXXDX XECDFXXXBG XHXXXII XXXXXFH XEXXHXXXGX
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,178
Words 227
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 12, 10, 7, 7, 10

Discuss the poem Mother of Exiles with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Mother of Exiles" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/112450/mother-of-exiles>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    More poems by

    Kathrine McArdle

    »

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    13
    hours
    9
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    A poem consisting of 14 lines, typically with a specific rhyme scheme, is called a _______.
    A limerick
    B epic
    C haiku
    D sonnet