Poetry of Peacocks: "Spruce Me Up Ben Franklin!" a poem by Jess Coffman

Happy 4th of July! This is one of my favorite holidays, I love the energy in the air from billions of people excited for the celebration of flag cakes, marching bands, BBQ's and of course fireworks. It is a day when everyone is joyful, forgiving, maybe a little tipsy and playful, I love it. My family and I used to go to a free concert in an outdoor amphitheater where we could bring our own picnic and booze. It is one of my greatest memories of childhood, I actually would love to be there tonight. But I am happy to be in one of the most patriotic cites in the country instead.

I was speaking with my Dad this morning and he said something about Ben Franklin which reminded me of a poem that I wrote last summer while I was visiting Billy in Philadelphia. I went to a place called City Tavern for a quick drink while I was waiting for his matinee to end. It is exciting for tourists because the servers are dressed in colonial garb and they serve food that is inspired by 18th century early American cuisine like Braised Rabbit and Tavern Lobster Pie.

They also serve Yards beer which is a local brewery in Philadelphia, which became well known because of its "Ales of the Revolution." These beers include Tavern Spruce Ale, Tavern Ale and Tavern Porter. These beers are based on the original beer recipes that were created by a few of the Founding Fathers. On that fateful July afternoon at City Tavern in Philly, I discovered my favorite beer of all time is the Tavern Spruce Ale. It was inspired by Benjamin Franklin's 18th century ale which used spruce and molasses in its recipe, since barley and hops were not available. Those unique ingredients make it taste like Christmas in a bottle, and I love every single sip of it. I was so inspired by it that I ended up writing a playful poem about the two things that I loved most in that moment, Billy and Beer.