In Pittsburgh’s bustling streets, a young woman stood,
Elizabeth Cochrane, with fire in her blood.
A newspaper’s words filled her heart with ire,
“What Girls are Good For,” it declared with desire.

Anonymously, she penned a rebuttal strong and clear,
Impressing the editor, her voice sincere.
Thus, Nellie Bly was born, a name to reckon,
In the world of journalism, her journey beckoned.

Assigned to feminine subjects, she longed to delve deep,
Investigative reporting, is her passion to keep.
Exposing factory workers’ plight, she dared to unveil
Controversial exposés, she was resilient and did not fail

At twenty-one, to Mexico, she did embark,
Unprecedented for a woman, a courageous spark.
Her journalism caused a tumult with local powers,
A daring escape from oppressive hours.

At twenty-three, the Pulitzer prize, she did claim,
for daring projects, in one she pretended to be insane
Into the Women’s Lunatic Asylum, a disguise she’d wear,
Her words sparked change, an expose to declare.

For ten days she lived within those desolate walls,
With her words unleashed, righteousness calls.
Her truths were a sensation in print, a revelation,
Treatment reforms echoed across the nation.

Around the world, she raced in record time,
Inspired by Verne’s tale, her journey was sublime.
For seventy-two days, she embarked, bold and free,
A trailblazer she triumphed in history’s decree.

Upon her jubilant return, her name was in the lights,
for her solo journey, through days and nights.
An international celebrity, her fame did swell,
Nellie Bly, the reporter who dared to excel.

Marriage came at thirty-one, a change of course,
Industrialist’s wife, an inventor with strength and force.
Yet, journalism called, in times of war,
She returned, and her spirit soared once more.

World War I, a war zone to explore,
Nellie Bly returned to the reporting floor.
A trailblazer, her journey’s last refrain,
Pneumonia claimed her, a life not in vain.

On January 27, 1922, her journey did end,
A legacy of courage, her spirit to send.
Elizabeth Cochrane, Nellie Bly’s true name,
A beacon of truth, in history’s frame.