TO THE STATES, To Identify the 16th, 17th, or 18th Presidentiad

WHY reclining, interrogating? Why myself and all drowsing?

What deepening twilight! Scum floating atop of the waters!

Who are they, as bats and night-dogs, askant in the

      Capitol?

What a filthy Presidentiad! (O south, your torrid suns!

      O north, your arctic freezings!)

Judges? Is that the President?

Then I will sleep a while yet—for I see that These

      States sleep, for reasons;

(With gathering murk—with muttering thunder and lambent shoots, we all duly awake,

South, north, east, west, inland and seaboard, we will surely awake.)