Death Wears a White Face

      This is the fifth of six poems during ‘Native American Week’ here at poemsandponderings.wordpress.com. It tells of the rapid demise of great nations, brought on by the white man and his sense of entitlement. His “might makes right” diplomacy, and the attitude of ‘promise them anything but give them nothing’, as long as we get what we want.

     The “Massacre at Wounded Knee” is referred to, though not by name. The Lakota Sioux there, were slaughtered, there is no other word that can describe the incident.  However, in my opinion, the biggest disgrace was the awarding of Congressional Medals of Honor to the soldiers involved. (I believe the number to be around 27.) THERE WAS NO HONOR IN THEIR ACTIONS. innocent men, women and children, slaughtered!

     So, with that in mind;

Death Wears a White Face

 Crystal rivers run,

majestic mountains rise,

lakes the likes of oceans,

as yet unseen, through white man’s eyes.

 

Forests still uncut,

extend far past the moon.

Fish and fowl plentiful,

but, the white man’s coming soon!

 

Buffalo beyond horizons,

throughout all time, has spanned.

Then be gone and dying,

bleeding red, the land.

 

Children sick and hungry,

the women to be cursed,

but, the peoples of the nations,

had yet, to see the worst.

 

Just beyond the shortest sun,

when the people had joined to dance,

heroes all, the soldiers.

The Lakota, none, no chance!

 

They wanted not, for nothing,

that was not already theirs.

While the white man wanting everything,

and nothing would they spare.

 

Now, no more, crystal rivers run,

the mountains, strippped for ore.

 And the first people with the bison,

are now caged,  forever more!

 

 

Jack Downing

July 2011