In 25 words or less, tell why you feel this poem is symbolic of our country. Share in groups of 34 students and discuss together. In your group, relate this poem to our country today. Unfamiliar Words Meanings 1. Discuss the additional poems on this and the following pages.
Numbers cannotsee the sleepless nights, the aching bones.
Charts don't show a child's tearful embrace, the parents' weariness. Statistics cannot feel the longing, the loneliness. If they could, the numbers would shoot off the pages. The charts would reach the skies and people's hearts could finally measure homelessness. Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.