Benjamin Franklin: Almost A Poet?

Did you know that the first thing Ben Franklin ever published were two poems?  Back when he was a very young apprentice to his older brother in the printing business he wanted to test out his writing skills. He brought up the idea of writing poetry to his older brother who didn't object because poems at the time could be sold on the streets for profit. At that time printers were always looking for ways to make more money and publishing original works of writing was one of them. Ben wanted to do this to give himself a little bit of extra pocket money since he didn't make any money formally as an apprentice and only managed to have any pocket money at all by making his own food rather than buying meals at the boarding house nearby with the money his brother provided for him. 

One of the poems that Franklin wrote was about Blackbeard the pirate and the other was about a recent event that happened around town. Although both of the poems made a positive stir in the area and those who read them were entertained, when Ben's father Josiah got wind of this, he was not fond of the idea of Ben being a poet. “There is no money in it!” he said (ironic that even back then parents were telling their children not to be poets for financial reasons!) So Ben turned his attention to more profitable ventures...like essays and papers on interesting subjects for the local papers of the time. 

Although Franklin did not give up his love for poetry altogether. For several years later when his fortunes were more secure and he was his own boss, he would often publish poems from local poets in his well known publication “Poor Richard's Almanack.”

A young Ben Franklin selling poetry on the street.