It's our last challenge for 2020, which this time around was to write to the theme of "Wish I'd Been There," or to an historical event that incites wistfulness. I'm not sure the event I've chosen incites wistfulness, but this event reminds me of something my mother often said, "Oh, to be a fly on the wall." Or as Burr proclaims in Hamilton, "I wanna be in the room where it happens."
Let me take you back to 1872 in Rochester, NY.
I'm not sure this poem is finished yet, but it's a start.
November 5th, 1872 - Election Day
I've always admired
those resolute women
corset wearing
bustled and ruffled
risk takers
rule breakers
history makers
who cast their votes
for Ulysses S. Grant
pushed the boundaries
of the 14th amendment
determined to be heard
who embraced fully
the word citizen
with all the rights
it implied
who broke the law
then marched on
Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2020. All rights reserved.
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