Chester Arthur

Letter Seventeen

Chester Arthur was the president
But no one remembers him
What about you?
He served a term with no vice president
And no one resident
To tell him what to do

He came to office by a bullet’s grace
Garfield lost his place
And Arthur took charge
He lost his wife at age forty two
Knew what he had to do
Not to marry again

If I disappear from history
Will you find a way to remember me?
Or will I fade out of your memory
Only living on
In a song?

He ordered all of his papers burned
And anything you hoped to learn
Went away
And when he died he was laid to rest
In a place he thought was best
Next to Nell

Chester Arthur was the president
But no one remembers him
What about you?