The Statue stands tall,
symbolizing liberty.

Liberty is a gift
handed down by the constitution
through time.
But have all accepted it,
and given it a home
in their minds?

Are the graces of liberty truly free?
If it cannot extend to my incarcerated brothers the key,
which it inherited from its own sibling –equality.

Can we say that we truly live under a system of justice?
When Muslims cannot build mosques,
because “they” don’t trust us.

Tell me where is liberty’s spirit?
Day workers of Arizona are nowhere near it.

Has it been rendered to Guantanamo?
Is it festering like a sore at Baghram?
Has it been deported,
to join the wretched refuse of distant teeming shores,
like them, yearning to breathe free?

Where is liberty’s spirit?
Perhaps it is confined to the forefathers’ papers.
Can the Statue have virtue…
if daily you rape her?

Imam Zaid Shakir