My ode to William Henry Harrison, 9th President
of the United States, yet barely known.
A Founding Father’s son and longtime frontier resident,
Brave military leader to the bone.
His victories in uniform stacked up along the way,
rarely defeated at the battle line.
As President, though, died in office one month to the day,
now nobody remembers Number Nine.
He served the House of Representatives a term or two;
in politics, he always did excel.
First Governor of Indiana Territory, too -
Ohio’s 13th Senator, as well.
As Major General, Will fought the War of 1812,
as well as several wars along the way.
His worth, though, as a President, historians will shelve
for lasting only one month to the day.
He married sweetheart Anna in the Fall of ’95,
she bore her husband many children - ten!
Although her health was poor, Anna was Queen Bee to the hive,
their son’s son: future POTUS, Benjamin.
There’s no one I would rather have protect my garrison,
though in the end pneumonia held its sway.
A military hero, William Henry Harrison -
Ninth President, just one month to the day.
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.