Poetry

By

Alejandro Escudé

Live Coverage

On the Fourth of July, I watch the protestor

Who climbed to the foot of the Statue of Liberty

To protest Trump’s immigration policies,

Demanding that “the children be set free.”

And I listen to the news anchors call her stunt

“Monumentally stupid,” the invited commentator

A past counterterrorism expert who says

A hostage negotiator tried to talk her down

And that the officers “made the grab” by

Showing sympathy “whether they felt it or not.”

At the end of the episode, the protestor,

Having reminded us of the beautiful seafoam

Green of the goddess, her squat body at ease

Around the folds of her loving robe, succumbs

To the cops rushing to grab her abruptly.

And the stern commentator again commends

New York’s finest, who “could’ve been protecting

Citizens from other dangers,” for having

Safely rescued the protestor from the base

Of the monument, a climb investigators will

Now question her about. Her mind on revolution,

Their mind on height, ledge, determination,

The factors of existence, particulars that divide

And unites us. Not far away, the orphaned

Children shift from children back to shadows.

Alejandro Escudé

Alejandro Escudé’s first book of poems, My Earthbound Eye, was published in September 2013. He holds a master’s degree in creative writing from UC Davis and teaches English. Originally from Argentina, Alejandro lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.