The wealth she possessed, replaced by a weight she can no longer carry.
Her position in the world has changed.
Once a giant, now reduced to a dependency upon her captors.
When she wakes, she will be startled to find shackles & chains.
My heart cries out to her, “Wake, Sweet, Liberty!”

Strangers and enemies freely come in and out of her home.
Most of them with their own ravenous agenda and desire.
Few with the understanding that they have come into a sacred place.
Or, what used to be a sacred place. Wake, O, Liberty!

But when you wake, there will be much anguish and gnashing of the teeth.
Your sleep has been destructive & catastrophic.
The world is now fundamentally changed.
They took everything, sweet Liberty.

When you wake, be not afraid, O Liberty!
We will stand together & choose joy and hope.
We will walk with strength & grace into the new world.
Though we grieve what is lost, we strategically choose our response.
Wake, O, Liberty! To the new day. Though it is dark, we will bring light.