Birthright Denied
morning sun, a newborn babe,
exhales her first breath each dawn in mist
daybreak’s kiss
straddles the North Carolina and Tennessee line
Cherokee Nation’s last reservation
remains within a hazy, vaporous veil
nearly two centuries crept past
since 14,000 ill and hungry Cherokees
trekked the Trail of Tears
moving westward wearily
to sparse lands that precluded hunting, farming
by President Jackson’s ignoble decree
many perished along the trail
sacrificed to a selfish quest for gold
travelers still witness indomitable spirits
rising to life each night
as mist fades with setting sun
accusations of injustice
echo through the Smoky Mountains
to the tempo of tribal drums
Native Americans
reenact futile but peaceful efforts
to keep their homes
to remain one nation
to survive
to thrive
as ancestors did
scent of death ascends from sacred grounds
woodlands that have forever lost their greenery
now just cloudy scenery
peaks that resurrect dreary history
“reservation,” a trifling gesture
from a selfish territorial invader
speak to the spirits at sunset
beckon them to keep their honorable legacy alive
then feel damp anguish in foggy daybreak
souls returning to the forest floor
only to resurrect again
when darkness drapes the mountains once more
the curse
the shame
Smoky Mountains
Cherokee birthright denied
*Written August 20, 2014
Copyright © Carolyn Devonshire | Year Posted 2014
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