August 22, 1787

Fatigued from running
Through the universe of thoughts
That exists as a single incident in his mind
He rests, weary of everything

Stopping he seats himself
On the edge of a reality
Defined by diseased greens
And torn pavements
Still awaiting the towns nurturing hand

Carbon copies of what life once was

He yearns for leisure
A freedom earned by struggle
Day to day as regular as suns and moons
Cycles of life and death unending

Currents that ebb and flow
With the coming of today’s bill
Added to yesterday’s stack

The regularity of nicotine puffs
Reminiscent of a steam engine
Crying change up the Delaware
For all to see

About August 22, 1787

I was inspired to write this poem after reading a little about the inventor John Fitch. He was messing around with steam engines, and made the first public demonstration of it on August 22, 1787. It was a trial run of the steam boat “Perseverance” on the Delaware river.

What really caught my imagination was the fact that the Constitutional Convention was happening, and many delegates came to see it. I wonder if them seeing that self-propelled boat made them think of the future. I wonder if it propelled them into finalizing or modifying some of the thought that went into creating the US Constitution.

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