History Alive

Visit official historical homes;
See where a president slept.
Wander the rooms where he breathed and he ate;
Marvel at all that's been kept:

Diaries, writing desks, clothing and clocks;
Dishes and goblets and swords.
Hairbrushes, mirrors and hundreds of books;
Frames holding lots of awards.

Pots and utensils employed by the cooks;
Furniture purchased in France.
Gardens all blooming with thousands of bulbs;
Slippers once worn at a dance.

All the minutiae of living condensed
And polished for us on display.
We can imagine how life used to be
When it is presented this way.

Names that we learned in a history book
Suddenly spring forth to life.
Here is the chair where the president sat;
There is the gown of his wife.

Trolling the past doesn't need to be dry.
Jump in the car - take a drive.
A trip to a battlefield, bunker or home
Can make history feel so alive.