Faneuil Hall

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We come to Faneuil Hall,
where legendary meetings
were planned by U.S. revolutionaries
against the infamous British government.

Sam Adams spoke here,
our guide tells us,
and Hancock and Revere,
and one evening it was decided
to write the Articles
of Confederation.

We come to Faneuil Hall,
wide eyed, like refugees
from some greater disaster,
or like pilgrims
cast upon the beach,
searching for something,

a seed of fire
perhaps, or a glint
on the walnut tabletops
from our own
dubious future.

The question of slavery was tabled
for a future generation
and Paine spoke of a need for struggle
against the new lords
of America.

We come to Faneuil Hall,
pit stop on the long road,
wreckage of monopoly capital
littered all around us,
gaze up and wonder
at the gilded ceiling.

Troops opened fire
on the Whiskey Boys.
Paine moved to France.
Manifest Destiny up for grabs,
Hamilton landed the treasury.

Two centuries later
Faneuil Hall is still a political center.
Community organizations meet here,
such as the Red Cross.

And to this day,
says our tour guide,
with a twinkle in his eye,
true to this tradition,

Faneuil Hall is open for anyone
to hold public meetings --
as long as one doesn't
advocate the overthrow
of the U.S. government.