Cherokee

[MichaelFirewalker]

and how many died
diseased
starved
and frozen
on the iced
Trail of Tears?

and how many more
when finally they came
to the place where too many
had arrived before and they were not
welcomed?

many wandered then from there
out of heart and out of mind
back into the wilderness
to die

we carry in our genes
the power of their tears
the grieving from their need
and memories of their fears

they have passed down the years
to now, and become ours...

[alfredo]

M… really like this subject and the way you handle it. I believe the Red Indian/US issue needed a lot of airing. Are you able to point me to other poems in the same vein? More for you on this please.

[MichaelFirewalker]

Hi, alfredo----glad you enjoyed it----I checked for you quickly and a couple of Cherokee poets are Marilou Awiakta and Ron Wilburn, but I have not read them----the Cherokee greatly admire a gentle spirit, so I imagine that's how they might read----I have one other narrative poem which I shall repost sometime...

blessings,
michael