Liberty
A provocative reflection on the Statue of Liberty and the identity of the figure behind her stern copper face. Drawing on speculation about Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s inspiration, the poem challenges the familiar image of Lady Liberty and asks whether the symbol of freedom may have a more unexpected origin.
Her stern copper face looks down on me,
Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s mother?
On closer inspection, can’t help but feel
That this is the Frenchman’s mad brother.
Bearing the torch and tabula ansata,
He invokes the chain of a broken law.
I am enlightened today –
Libertas is male: in shock but not awe.
Back to Myth, History & Cultural Memory
More poems from the archive:
The Candid Verse at Bartholdi’s Wharf
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