"A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name, Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand glows world-wide welcome . . ."

A while back I wrote an ode to my favourite lady: the Statue of Liberty. Lady Liberty was conceived and given to America out of love for an idea. She stands in the harbour with love in her heart and hope in her torch lighting up the sky.

When our favourite cousin Ryumi saw that piece, she wrote to me to say that she had seen a Statue of Liberty in Japan where she lives. I asked her if she would send me a picture of Miss Liberty. Dear Ryumi, she did just that. I asked her if Liberty had a special meaning to the Japanese. She said, no. It’s just that the Japanese love anything American. That would explain why Liberty is on top of something called, “New American Plaza.”

I thought how sad this was, mainly because the Lady means so much to so many people. Then, I thought, well all Americans must think of her in a special way too. Then I found a picture of another Liberty in Las Vegas. I suppose that it’s the iconic status of Liberty that explains her presence in Las Vegas. They do, after all, also have an Eiffel Tower there in the desert. Of course, when you get to the top of the Vegas Eiffel Tower all you see is Las Vegas. Me, I’d rather see Paris.

Now looking at the real Lady in the harbour, or her little sister on the island in the Seine, there is a real sense of her power. She, of course, can do no more than stand sentry in the harbour. But, she challenges our imaginations to think about what she represents. She challenges us to be as great as she.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Wotta Woman!

A la prochaine. Moochas smoochas,

Please give what you can to Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders).

Comments

[Rédigé par: berlin]

Gut!