A notary public stamped your letter
with typical embossment
and I was at home
measuring salt water with a spoon.
the enamel seal was royal blue,
not unlike the buggy that carried
William Henry Harrison after he died of the flu.
though i think he ought to be remembered
for a nickname, Tippecanoe,
that’s far better than Bubba or Dubya or even Honest Abe
or Bull Moose.
you know they used castor oil
and Virginia snakewood
to try to heal Tippecanue
who actually died of the common cold
not the flu
after delivering the longest inaugural address
in the history of the United States.
but what is Virginia snakewood?
what is castor oil?
