NaPoWriMo Day 17: I am Benjamin’s Kite

Today, the challenge is to write a poem that presents a scene from an unusual point of view. Perhaps you could write a poem that presents Sir Isaac Newton’s discovery from the perspective of the apple. Or the shootout at the OK Corral from the viewpoint of a passing vulture. Or maybe it could be something as everyday as a rainstorm, as experienced by a raindrop.

For today’s prompt, I took a suggestion from my son, to write a poem based on Benjamin Franklin’s Kite experiment. The experiment’s purpose was to uncover the unknown facts about the nature of lightning and electricity. You can check the details of the experiment here. The poem is an account of the kite during that experiment.

I am Benjamin’s Kite

The evening of June 1752

A new design, he conceptualized for me

My body draped in silk, and strips of cedar wood

Oh how delightful I felt at this vagary

A pointed wire, about a foot long,

I sported as a warrior’s sword

A ribbon made of silk, and a metal key

Tied to the end of the string

Clad like a bride, I awaited to fly

And what an exhilarating feeling it was

There I flew, with birds in the sky

In the clouds, I staged catwalk

Clouds suddenly turned furious, black or dark grey

A storm appeared approaching; I turned pale

Oh please pull me back,

My attire, I don’t want marred

Crackle! A peal of thunder, I heard at a distance

And in a black thunderous cloud, I found myself enveloped

My sword, my pride, soon shuddered from the electric charge

And the wire that caressed me, squealed painfully from the shock

I saw him cheering in jubilation,

Insulated from electroshock,

While rain and thunder ruined me,

Benjamin’s spirits seemed fully charged

                                                            ©Vandana Bhasin

                                                                        17.04.2019