Hamilton Trash 2: The Sequel

My Shot

I had met Mr. Burr, Mr. Mulligan, Mr. Laurens and Monsieur Lafayette at a local tavern.
Of course, when all five men had been introduced to a scraggly nineteen- year-old newcomer such as myself, they all expressed their clueless oblivion with either a sneer or a taunt.
I am not saying this as if they saw my potential, in which they had not.
But, instead, I shall put it as this:
just as this country I was young, tenacious, and desperate.

I was going to a scholarship to Kings College, and there was nothing that anyone nor anything could do to make me think otherwise.
Now, I would not think of myself as cocky, but I did have potential, and yes, I was indeed astonishing.
The only conflict was although I was bafflingly intelligent, it would take a legacy for me to prove myself at such a young age.
With every quarrel I had been in, I was practically, and figuratively, forced to stomp on top of the clueless fool strongly disagreeing with me.
One may refer to me as a diamond in the rough.
Another may say I am just a young, haughty, conceited immigrant.
The truth is, I am just trying to prove myself as not a worthless newcomer, but an excellent scholar.
Even I knew my talent in writing and speech was impeccable.
My young age does not define the age of my mind.

New York had been getting colder as it rejected many people similar to me.
But despite the position I was in, I would ignore every burden that would bind me.
And yes, I wished for a war, although I had never held a gun in my life.
That desperate I was.
That poor I was.
Many do not know me.
Some do.
If one would like to know, as soon as they do, they will be utterly baffled. The foolproof plan was to show that a spark could turn into a fierce fire, and it was the exact time to show who nineteen-year-old Alexander Hamilton was and what he will become.

I presented this to my five friends at the tavern, presented my intelligence, my determination, my desperation.
All but one had agreed with my correct opinions.
"We are made to be a functioning colony running on independence and independence only," I explained.
"Why must we have Britain endlessly pulling us towards ruin?"
The four men were at the edge of their seats.
I smiled, for they saw my potential.
"They tax us relentlessly, and this should not go to rest. King George, the king, will not, and will never give our descendants of this new world freedom unless we stand together and build an undying revolution."
I had spoken, and written of this and had written on paper these words in parentheses, not only because I so desperately wanted to prove myself worthy, but also to show the world of a possible image that could be a reality.
Do not be perplexed when your textbooks do say my name, for I will die defending this country for it to be a free nation.
It has been a while since I had expressed myself in such a way. Because I had now written myself into revolution.

Young, tenacious, and desperate I was.
Lafayette sat in his chair and spoke, "I dream of life without a ruler, for the stirring chaos in France will lead to nothing but 'onarchy."
I furrowed my brow and set down my glass Mr. Burr kindly bought for me. In the corner of my vision I could see Mr. Burr staring - no, glaring in my direction.
This made me wonder, if Mr. Burr had been so polite to me and bought me a drink, how then, could he now act as if we were sworn enemies?
I immediately dismissed the thought, for it was a habit to overthink.
Lafayette was still talking.
"'Onarchy? How you say, how you say - anarchy!"
Mulligan and Laurens smirked to keep from a laugh.
It seemed Monsieur Lafayette had some difficulty when it came to English, since "æ" is not present in the French language.
He resumed, "When I fight for freedom I shall make the opposing side cower in fear!"
All but one of us cheered and raised our glasses.
Mr. Mulligan entered, "Yes I am a tailor's apprentice, and since all three of you have been orphaned, I might as well be in the place of a parent."
We chuckled, and Mulligan pointed to me. "You are right, Hamilton, you and your thought on a free nation. I'll join this revolution, since it is better than sewing clothes!"
We all raised our glasses once again.
Laurens joined in, "Exactly. But we men as a nation will never truly be free until those in chains forced to work with little or no pay at all share equal rights with us. Again, Hamilton is right." Laurens smiled, "I may or may not be alive to see it, but soon there will be African-Americans joining with us for freedom, a battalion, even!"
We cheered once more.
This was astonishing, men, just like me, sharing the same interests and opinions. I was starting to raise my glass once again when Mr. Burr interrupted - "Men! Lower your voices would you. As I had said before, and will say again, this - this clearly is going to resort to nothing but quarrels. Trouble. Hiding away from trouble doubles the opportunities. Do not get me wrong, I am for this, but if you don't learn you will be taught. Little known fact: if you speak of your opinions publicly and openly, you will get killed."
I ignored Burr and exclaimed, "Burr, just look at who we have! Mr. Lafayette, a fearless fighter for liberty. And Mr. Laurens, whom I like quite a lot. We shall and will hatch a foolproof plot for this hopeless nation!"
By this time I was standing on the edge of my seat.
"What are the odds of God himself for us to find each other, with wisdom if many like it or not?
We are revolutionary manumission abolitionists. We can accomplish anything if we put our right minds into it, men!"
I turned to see everyone in the tavern staring at, well, me.
I cleared my throat and said in almost a whisper,
"Oh, am I talking too loud?
I-it's a habit... Sometimes I get a little over excited. The - the mouth, I have a tendency to talk... I'm very sorry, I have never had a group of friends with such interests.
I hesitated, then resumed, "But I promise I will make you - all of you - proud..."
They all smiled and Laurens exclaimed, "We really need to get him in front of a crowd!"

And so it was.
Laurens, Mulligan, Lafayette and I, unstoppable abolitionists with an opinion at hand that needed to be heard.
Again, one may think of me as cocky and arrogant - which I am utterly not. But think of me as determined. Confident.
We four men would riskily take a shot, and rise up.
Take a shot.
Rise up.
Repeat.
This was the beat we would follow, and no one will ever dare to change the melody.

As they rambled on about revolution, I had revisited a state of mind.
A state of being, in which I was with my thoughts, and with my thoughts alone.
How I hated this place.
But what must an intelligent person do?
Sit and obliviously examine the chaos around one's exhausted, limited mind?
Lie in wait for things that will clearly never come?
I asked myself countless questions, none of which I knew the answer to.
What was death?
I visited and visited that one question constantly and constantly.
How I imagine death as an abstract object, like a memory.
Memories were indeed abstract, and if you had not known that before, you will know now.
When will death decide to creep up onto me, to devour me into its endless void of abstract hope, abstract memory?
When will it capture me?
In my sleep?
Six or seven feet ahead of my own intelligence?
If I am lucky enough to see, to feel death itself, do I flee or stand still?
Is it like blood aiding in a flower's growth?
Blood does not make flowers grow, and clouds do not fill up with blood or vengeance, but instead, water.
I never thought I'd live passed the fragile and tender age of twenty.
No, I had wanted, and I was ready to die at the age of seventeen, nothing more, nothing less.
In the small island of St. Croix, many do not even get past fifty years of age.
Ask anyone from the island, we laugh and cry as things pass, as things wear out, as things harden, and as things rust.
But we tend to make it last.
We tend to make it last.
That's plenty.

No, dismiss that!
Dismiss all of it!
It is not a moment of grief, it's a movement! A revolution! Where all the most desperate of all brothers with a something to tell have gone.
The saying is incorrect.
Opposites do not and will not attract.
Foes oppose us, and end our lives.
Even if we take a stand, and walk just as Moses did, leading to the Promised Land.
And, if America is granted its rightful independence, is that an actual guarantee of freedom for all?
For all races?
All ethnicities?
All genders?
All people?
Or again, will we have to prove ourselves with violence and vengeance and death?
I know the action in all of New York is rather astonishing, but truly between all of the blood, and greed I have been studying.
We need to grab hold of our financial situation!
What is our nation?

No, I would not patiently stand and wait for miracles anymore.
I will passionately force my opinion into those not of risk, to those who sit and wait.
No expectation is needed of me.
I would break the wall binding us and stripping us of our rights, of our freedom!
Every action I would make would impact the future of this nation, and I will not be slow in doing so.
I will laugh at causality, at mediocrities, at grief, and for the first time, think past of what is to come.

Take a shot.

Rise up.

Take a shot.

Rise up.

And I am not throwing away my shot!

This took literally more than 5 hours all together
I had to listen to the song on repeat NON-STOP while writing this aaaah my thumbs
I listened to it instrumental so it could have a nice 1770s vibe lol
I hope this was okay because it took a lot of thought
...And a lot of my battery lol