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Beasts of war dwarf her, even as she stands in fore.
Those long-necked mules abreast
put nail after nail in the coffin of concrete conquest.
She stands
   appearing smaller every day
         but She stands.
as a beacon of freedom,
torch lit against the world
we knew her,
Now I wonder if foreigners might look on with disappointment
at the size and lack of grandeur
as we might in Paris at the Eiffel Tower.
The conquest of
Construction will cover our green queen.
      Progress
   will make her antiquated,
But for those of us
      who climbed Her spine
      who stood watch with Her, vigilant on the Hudson,
Those who have been Her flame     Â
            and still are,
She has shared the torch.
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