BURNING OF THE GASPEE, 1772

                        Deborah L. Halliday, February 2018

When Lindsay taunted Dudingston that June day,
The British Captain bristled at the slight;
So Gaspee chased the Hannah up the bay,
‘Til low tide and a sandbar stopped her might.
But Lindsay’s lighter craft continued on
To Providence where Sabin’s Tavern stood,
And there the plot unfolded and was drawn
To get rid of the hated ship for good.
The Gaspee turned to cinders on that night,
And repercussions started in the morn;
But out of conflict grew a bigger fight,
And from resistance was a nation born.
When righteous cause and selfish greed unite
Each side strives to prove that they were right.