END OF A WAY OF LIFE

END OF A WAY OF LIFE

And the brave’s demise had echoed
In his ears for so many years
But what can the eagle do
But fly
When a way of life is in the balance
Yet the scales are weighted against you
It helps not to wonder why
He’s perched on a towering bluff looking down
Forced from the verdant valley below
The only life he’s known
Is a distant memory slipping away
The horse soldiers are coming
His people must do something
Lately the bite of hunger
Is the only bite they’ve shared
Shivering sleep is never deep
And winter’s ice teeth are growing strong
He looks – they come
His tribe’s too weary – it’s done
In surrender Chief Joseph
The red man with a white man’s name
Lays down his rifle and utters
What valiant brave’s deplore
I am tired of fighting
From where the sun now stands
I will fight no more

Sam DeLoach
Copyright 2008