Declaration of Independence
Alone in the night gazing at the beauty
of a celestial masterpiece yet untouched by the cover of cloud,
an unrelenting silence is interrupted by the insistent ticking
of an old grandfather clock in the parlor.
A candle with a dual wick,
rests upon a table made of knotty pine
roughly chiseled to add a rustic touch;
providing my only light,
intensifies a floor of polished oak.
I sit watching shadows flicker across plaster walls;
mimic eerie phantoms slithering throughout the room
refusing to take recognizable shape, cause unwanted distraction.
The work before me suffers, in stark contrast,
pitifully begs text be laid to cover the nudity of the page before me.
The accomplishments of my life pale in contrast what keeps me awake this night;
the plight of a nation will rest on the passion of my words,
my friends and patriots rely on a text
that will take them from anarchy, to democracy.
Shadows appearing to take shape play tricks upon my vision,
reveal a sight resembling a picture of a united
uniformly defined crowd, cheering and waving as one voice,
one sound.
Suddenly, it becomes clear, the page before me fills with pronouncement,
my chest swells with pride, what is written this night becomes page after page,
until finally,
to carry a nation desiring riddance,
a Declaration Of Independence.
The original draft of the Declaration was written by Thomas Jefferson from 11 June 1776 to
28 June 1776. It was finalized and approved by the Congress and printed on the evening of
July 4th.
The original document was signed by only John Hancock as President of the Congress and
Charles Thompson, as the Secretary of the Congress. Other signatories were added
beginning in August and weren't completed for several months.
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