One President

Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)



'What are those, father?' 'Statesmen, my child
Lacrymose, unparliamentary, wild.'

'What are they that way for, father?' 'Last fall,
'Our candidate's better,' they said, 'than all!''

'What did they say he was, father?' 'A man
Built on a straight incorruptible plan-
Believing that none for an office would do
Unless he were honest and capable too.'

'Poor gentlemen-_so_ disappointed!' 'Yes, lad,
That is the feeling that's driving them mad;
They're weeping and wailing and gnashing because
They find that he's all that they said that he was.'

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

27 sec read
123

Quick analysis:

Scheme AA BB CCDD EEXX
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 538
Words 98
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 2, 2, 4, 4

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. more…

All Ambrose Bierce poems | Ambrose Bierce Books

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