Undocumented
When America Was Great
By: Charles Giuliano - Jun 26, 2018
Undocumented
Loading cargo in Palermo
Deep in the hold
Hid till past Gibraltar
Knocked on the door
Captain’s cabin
Boldly introduced himself
I’m Andrea Giuliano
I want to go to America
The audacity of it
Brash young Sicilian
It’s said they played chess
Shared hope and dreams
Sailed past Statue of Liberty
When customs left
Slipped over the side
Silver dollar as parting gift
Striving to turn silver
An immigrant’s alchemy
Into streets paved with gold
Sold fruit in Brooklyn
Dawn on the docks
Day over before noon
Sent for his Maria
Raised eight children
Through the depression
On Sunday she made sauce
With that meal some meat
Huge platter of spaghetti
Gravy thinner each night
Evenings at his social club
Each region had one
Sicily, Naples, Calabria
Sip grappa and tell tales
Pearl handled revolver
Wouldn’t leave home without it
Not fired in mean streets
Ruled by La Cosa Nostra
The family prospered
Dad became a surgeon
Uncle Bill a Ph.D
Professor of Romance Languages
Stella died young
A botched surgery
Freddy a WPA actor
Albert an accountant
Mary a nurse and airline stewardess
Flew TWA back in the day
Rose and Katherine
Mothers of clans
Nano never a citizen
Undocumented alien
Could have been deported
Like Lucky Luciano
Said that with an education
I could be Mayor of New York
Change a vowel and its true
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani
What a difference an O makes
Living the American dream