Bartholdi’s Wharf
A brief poetic meditation on the Statue of Liberty, its creator Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and the enduring mystery surrounding the figure’s face. Blending history, myth and speculation, the poem looks beyond the familiar symbol to imagine the man who may have inspired her stern, enigmatic features.
They call it Libertas, a copper crown,
A gift of friendship from a foreign shore.
Bartholdi cast his brother here?
To forge a myth we could not ignore.
The torch is lifted to the heavy skies,
A stern, metallic face that keeps the law.
Behind the cold light of her eyes,
Candid lines point at his angular jaw.
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Statue of Liberty Bartholdi’s Brother?
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