The Embrace of The Redeemer
With his arms spread, He stands really tall,
A beautiful sculpture for us all.
He watches over the city with a gentle stare,
A city full of emotions like joy and despair.
Bellow him the streets are bustling,
Plenty of his people are running and hustling.
Just some stone so he cannot speak,
But still keeps people from feeling weak,
When the sun sets, the light goes thin.
But his light will never die from within,
A sculpture of Jesus watches over the night.
Guarding all of us sinners with all his might
I picked the Christ the Redeemer statue because it’s such a powerful symbol that stands over Rio. I have never been to Rio, but I can assume that the people feel like the statue is always watching over them. My main idea was to capture how peaceful and yet powerful the statue is while people live there own lives underneath. The line “With his arms spread, he stands really tall” shows how his arms feel like a big embrace, welcoming the people of the city.
The poem contrasts the busy life in the city with the peace of the statue. I used lines like “Bellow him the streets are bustling, Plenty of his people are running and hustling.” to show how the city is always active, while Christ remains peaceful and calm. I took breaks between the lines in certain places to give the reader a second to really think about what’s being said.
The last part focuses on the light because while looking the statue up, it is almost always shown in front of a sunset. I wanted to end with the idea of Christ watching over the people, protecting them even as the city quiets down.
I wasn’t trying to explain the statue or its religious meaning too much, although I am a Catholic and I believe the religious aspect is a huge part; I understand plenty of people who love this statue are not religious. I focused more on how it makes people feel, calm, safe, and connected. The way the poem is structured, with shorter lines and steady rhythm, is meant to match the steady calm of the statue.
I did not use generative AI to create this poem.