Triviality

We were as old as the land, 
Disillusioned warriors 
Submerged in abandoned dreams 
And drowning in our dead. 

Resting in the yellow promise 
Of vandalizing tongues, 
We trusted the honor of those 
Who stipulated the terms of submission. 

And we surrendered all we'd known 
For the sake of our unborn 
As the elders mourned the mutilation 
Of traditions that defined us as a people. 

We became a necklace of broken hearts 
Buried in deceit
While our young faded like a photograph 
In their eclipsed heritage. 

Yet pride bulges from our grieving chest 
Withstanding the brunt
Of mockery's spear and the trail of tears; 
We survive. 

We are Turtle Island, 
Emerging from emaciated hopes 
To revitalize our purpose 
On the sacred wheel. 

We are not a sub-species, 
Decomposing in the cage of triviality. 
We are the eagle; 
Refusing to die.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2005



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