In the soil, the phrase trias politica is muttered
The basis of a nation’s government yet to be uttered
Into the world where balance constitutes life,
And establishes equanimity when there is strife

The hands of our founding fathers were coated in this soil
They planted the seeds to free America from turmoil
The seeds germinated under the care of the people
A prerequisite for a new future made equal

With ink and paper they carved lines through the ground
To inscribe the system of which our roots are now found
To form a new union where the leaves intertwine
And insure tranquility in our domestic shrine

The patterns and words etched in this Constitution
Fertilized the seedling of a new institution
One that embraced the great separation of powers
And worked systematically like clock hands skimming the hours

Through nurture and care, three branches emerged
And with separate functions, the branches diverged
Legislative governed where the leaves should be placed
And the executive determined if it would be embraced

The fulcrum of this tree became the judicial
It ensured that the two branches would not be prejudicial
For the order established watched over the tree
And the weight of the fruits kept the law balanced and free

Like three siblings, the branches guarded one another
And made sure not to grow higher than the other
Each branch required equal exposure to the sun
But no amount of shade could turn this bond undone

So today this ancient tree still stands
Protecting its fruits in calloused hands
The hands that planted the seeds in this soil
And encapsulated our liberties in an ever-growing coil

The above poem was a winner in Benicia’s 2018 Law Day Contest.

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