Editor:
I am a senior, 91 years young, and have been living in Evanston for 50 years. Evanston and my neighbors have been a most important part of my life and, I am certain, have been a contribution to my longevity. I have written this poem that I thought your readers might enjoy.
— Sarah B. Friedman
“To America, With Love”
America, America, sweet land of liberty
To you we owe our fate.
When other ports turned us away
You opened your gate.
Our land of birth rejected us,
We had nowhere to go.
When our spirits reached their lowest ebb,
Your mercy you did show.
We found great opportunities
No matter what our race
To rise to any heights we wished –
At last we found our place.
The right to say just what we think,
Whate’er our point of view,
To practice our religious faith
And to ourselves be true.
No nation over the entire globe
Shows such humanity.
You’ve cared for homeless by the score
With your hospitality.
Your splendor is beyond compare
From coast to coast you shine –
Your fields of grain, your mountains tall,
Your sheltering elms, divine.
Your works of art, your music halls,
Your journey to the moon,
Your countless great discoveries –
Each one has been a boon.
To Uncle Sam we drink a toast,
Our hearts are full of praise.
A million thanks are not enough
For your loving, caring ways.
May your stars and stripes forever wave,
And God’s mercies ever abound,
As freedom rings throughout the land,
Our voices will resound.
