56 Men

They met early in June of 76 
in the City of Brotherly Love
Relations with Britain were all but shattered
They prayed to their God up above

They talked on for weeks and debated quite loudly.
Rebellion, War, and Free Will
Should they break with the Crown and sever all ties?
Then they finally decided, "We will"

So a draft was laid down by Jefferson's pen
And the delegates talked on some more
But time was quite short, for a large Royal fleet
was knocking at New York’s front door

They declared Independence at last on the 4th
And all signed the paper with pride.
No longer "subjects" but free men at last.
Americans now, side by side!

The word went out swiftly to the 13 new states.
All the bells tolled across the new land.
"There's tough times ahead", was a phrase said by many
“But it's time that we all took a stand”.

And stand fast they did. Seven more years of fire.
Till Cornwallis was beaten at last.
And kings reigned no more in the Land of the Free.
Tyranny became just the past.

And what do we owe to those few gallant men
who called themselves "Congress" so bold?
And stood up to an empire as no one before
And as few have since then, truth be told.

Just a small group of men representing a nation.
They all knew the dangers and risks.
I take my hat off every 4th of July
And thank God for those brave 56

© 2008
Robert De Groff