By David J. Malarcher*

           Sleep, Charlie! thou, the great, the strong!

              Within the depths of mud and mire!

           While high above the diamond throng

              Thy sterling statue in retire

           Proclaims the splendor of thy game,

              Thy paramount, unequaled fame!

           Thou wert the best who roamed the field!

              Thy stalwart fingers never failed

           The batters' erring fate to seal,

              The pitchers' powers wrought to frail!

           Oh! would thy skill could live always

              To stir the sportsman happy praise!

           Sleep, Charlie! I, who knew thee well,

              Do here declare to Earth and time

           In Heaven's language, thus to tell,

              In poignant poetry divine,

           The glory of thy destiny

              Thus this undying rhyme to thee!

           Sleep, Charlie! now in holy dust!

              (As mighty Cobb and Petway rest)

           Bearing the praise of all of us,

              The diamond's greatest and the less

           Here honor we on thee bestow,

              That ages will thy greatness know.

* Dave Malarcher, a SABR member living in Chicago, was a Negro League teammate of Hall of Famer Oscar Charleston and, obviously, a great admirer.