BENJAMIN FRANKLIN | We Shaped Our World
- Greg McNeilly
- Apr 17
- 2 min read
On April 17, we pause to remember the passing of Benjamin Franklin—printer, philosopher, scientist, diplomat, and founding father. Few lives have shaped the soul of a nation so completely. Franklin's genius bridged science and statecraft, invention, and independence from his humble beginnings in colonial Boston to the glittering courts of France. His legacy lives on not just in the documents he helped draft or the inventions he left behind but in the idea of what it means to be American.
“BENJAMIN FRANKLIN | We Shaped Our World,” a reflection on the enduring light of a man whose sparks still ignite our future. This poem is featured in Red, White & Verse and is available here.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN | We Shaped Our World
In the sizzle of the lightning, a spark jumped north,
The cradle of a nation where ideas leapt forth.
In the streets of Boston, in 1706,
A child named Benjamin Franklin came into the mix.
In the hum of the printing press, wisdom was spun,
Wit and will, a journey begun.
Poor Richard, his pen, the voice of the age,
In the almanac’s pages, he set the stage.
With a kite and a key in the storm’s fierce dance,
He harnessed the power of the spark’s lance.
Bifocals, Franklin stove, and the lightning rod,
Inventor, scientist, a gift from God.
In Philadelphia’s heart, he built a home,
A library of knowledge beneath a dome.
Fire departments, street lighting, institutions of mind,
Civic improvements of every kind.
From humble beginnings, to France’s grand courts,
His diplomacy wove supportive cohorts.
In the forge of revolution, his vision held fast,
A founding father, his lot was cast.
He penned the words that set a nation free,
In the Declaration, we see his decree.
And in the Constitution, his hand played a part,
A testament to his wisdom, his generous heart.
Yet Benjamin Franklin was not just a name,
But a spirit, an ethos, a perpetual flame.
The embodiment of the American Dream,
In his story, the nation’s themes gleam.
In the heart of a nation, his spirit resounds,
In the echo of his words, our future is found.
From the depths of the past, his legacy whirled,
In the spirit of Franklin, we shaped our world.
By Greg McNeilly
