She stands on a ship

Lost 

A nobody 

Thousands of miles from home

With nothing but a suitcase 

An address on a piece of paper

Memories

Of crumbling brick

And hunger

And fear.

 

The buildings here stand tall

Scraping the smog

That hugs the sky so tight

You can’t see the stars.

 

Back home

The they shine

So bright

Through roof-holes

Through broken windows

Over tired fields

Over couples

Over families

All struggling to stay alive.

 

No more struggling.

Hard work, endless hours, 

Scrimping and saving every cent

A scrappy nobody

Born to nothing

Can raise herself to everything.

 

Her legacy lives on

A city built from sweat and tears

Roads paved with struggle

Lady Liberty standing above it all

Watching the city where the hopeful

The dreamers

The streelights

Burning 

On nothing but hunger.

 

One day I’ll be there

Smooth concrete and asphalt

Built over old cobbled roads

The rush of traffic around me

Buildings stretching above

Dreams

Hope

At every bodega

And restaurant

And laundromat

And micro-apartment.

 

I’ll take a running start

Spread my arms

And I’m flying.