I recently reread “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus.
Lazarus read her sonnet at the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1886. The
statue was a gift from the French people to the US, in celebration of the 100th
anniversary of American independence. I consider it an iconic structure because
it is immediately recognizable by people all over the US and around the world.
Here is the poem:
The
New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame
With conquering limbs astride from land
to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates
shall stand
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; her mild eyes
command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities
frame,
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied
pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe
free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming
shore,
Send these, the homeless,
tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden
door!"
~ Emma Lazarus
There are many other iconic structures around the world. I
went on-line, looking for poems about some of them. Here are links a few that I
found.
Eiffel Tower - http://www.thepedestalmagazine.com/gallery.php?item=3987
Other iconic structures include the Kaaba at Mecca; The Dome
of the Rock in Jerusalem; Buckingham Palace in London; the Alhambra Palace in
Granada, Spain; the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and the Washington Monument
in Washington, D.C.; the Taj Mahal in Agra, The Needle in Seattle, Washington;
and the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) in Chicago; the Empire State
Building in New York City; St. Peters in the Vatican; the Coliseum in Rome; and
St. Mark’s in Venice.
“In
Westminster Abbey” is not about the Abbey. Rather it a satirical commentary on
the behavior and attitudes of an upper class British woman who attends a
worship service in Westminster Abbey—another iconic structure—during World War
II. You can find that poem here: http://allpoetry.com/poem/8493441-In-Westminster-Abbey-by-Sir-John-Betjeman.
January
Challenge:
The January Challenge is to write a poem about an iconic
structure. It can actually be about the structure, or it could be about
something that happened in (or on) such a structure (such as Betjeman’s poem).
For purposes of this challenge, a park, plaza, or square is NOT considered an “iconic
structure.” Nor are sculptures such as the faces on Mount Rushmore.
Submit only one poem.
Your poem can be free or formal verse. If you submit a form poem, please
specify the form. The deadline is January
15. Poems submitted after the January 15 deadline will not be considered.
There is no charge to enter, so there are no monetary rewards, but winners are
published on this blog.
Copyright on each
poem is retained by the poet.
Poems published in
books or on the Internet (including Facebook and other on-line social networks)
are not eligible. If you poem has been published in a periodical, you may
submit it if you retain copyright, but please include publication data.
How to
Submit Your Poem:
Send your poem to wildamorris[at]ameritech[dot]net (substitute the @ sign for “at” and a . for “dot”. Be sure to provide your e-mail address. Include a brief bio which can be printed with your poem, if you are a winner this month.
Send your poem to wildamorris[at]ameritech[dot]net (substitute the @ sign for “at” and a . for “dot”. Be sure to provide your e-mail address. Include a brief bio which can be printed with your poem, if you are a winner this month.
Submission
of a poem gives permission for the poem to be posted on the blog if it is a
winner, so be sure that you put your name, exactly as you would like it to
appear if you do win, at the end of the poem. Poems may be pasted into an email
or sent as an attachment. Please do not indent the poem or center it on the
page. It helps if you submit the poem in the format used on the blog (Title and
poem left-justified; title in bold, and not all in capital letters; your name
at the bottom of the poem). Also, please do not use spaces instead of commas in
the middle of lines. I have no problem with poets using those techniques; I
sometimes use them myself. However I have difficulty getting the blog to accept
and maintain those features. Please include a short bio with your submission.
© Wilda Morris
