Loyal | Teen Ink

Loyal

May 4, 2015
By Liam McManus BRONZE, Lancaster, New York
Liam McManus BRONZE, Lancaster, New York
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Bombs crash against the shores of Pearl Harbor like waves Bang! Bang!
All of America thinks we are to blame.
The American people leave their leader, our leader, no choice.
The gates to the camps slam shut Bang! Bang!

We pretend like nothing is wrong.
Every morning we rise and pledge our allegiance to
a country that has abandoned us.The last line bothers us.
With liberty and justice for all it says. I guess we are the exception.
But we say it anyway. Lady Liberty has hidden her torch from us.
But her light still shines in our hearts.

Our men and boys are taken away.
They fight for their country overseas while
war still rages on at home. A war fought without bullets or guns.
It is fought in a courtroom with words that cut like knives at the
ropes that keep us prisoner. But our bindings are strong and soon
the slashing stops.

3 years later the war is over. We are free. 44 years later
Lady Liberty finally brandishes her torch to our people.
It is nice for her to accept us once again but
she never really left us.
 


The author's comments:

In Social Studies we were learning about World War II. When the topic of Japanese internment in the U.S. shocked and interested me. I decided to write this poem from the point of view of the Japanese Americans interned during World War II to try to capture the emotions they felt during that dark time.


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