Best Laramie Poems
This poem was written after I took a tour of the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Wyoming, the site of Custer's Last Stand.
It was the year eighteen sixty-eight.
The U.S. government signed the Fort Laramie Treaty.
The Black Hills were to be closed to white settlements,
Preserved for the Lakota Indians
Forever, so long as the buffalo roamed.
'Forever' lasted less than eight years.
The eastern railroads needed meat for their track crews,
So professional hunters followed the rails westward.
Men like 'Buffalo Bill' made their living
Killing the buffalo for meat, hides, and sport.
It was the year eighteen seventy-two.
America celebrated its centennial.
Gold was discovered in the Black Hills,
And people in their thousands rushed to the west
Seeking fortunes and living space.
Most of them were immigrants to America
Fleeing depression and prejudice,
And ready to ignore the letter of the treaty law.
Towns quickly sprung up along the immigrant trails.
Towns like Deadwood - an illegal encampment
In the midst of Indian land.
People like Calamity Jane - an illegal immigrant.
Wild Bill Hickok - another illegal.
In the year eighteen seventy-six
The U.S. government sent the army to remove the Indians
From 'their land'.
Almost half of Custer's troops were immigrants themselves
From seventeen different countries
And two marked down as 'unknown'.
You already know the basic story.
The Lakota won the battle
But lost the war and their sacred Black Hills.
General Custer became a legend,
The Indian culture was 'civilized,
And U.S. history moved on.
History is full of ironies.
Custer, a hero for the North side
Winning battles against slavery in the Civil War,
Won greater fame by dying in a war to enslave the Lakota.
What's the lesson we should learn from all this?
Each of us standing here today is an 'illegal immigrant'.
We need to remember.
This statue of four done the American way
For the Black Hills of Dakota, with the Lakota should stay
Carved to commemorate, the first one hundred and fifty years
This new nation built, on Red Indian tears
Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt
This area Six Grandfathers, the Fort Laramie Treaty has dealt
Then the Indian Wars in the years 1876-77
What happened to perpetuity that was taken from them
Somewhere through the years a decision was made
Carved by the Borglum's to the Lakota they degrade
An AIM occupation, as recent as 1971
In memory of The Six Grandfathers, who were once their ancestors sons
Time has moved on further from those days of long ago
But the Six Grandfathers memories will once again flow
For in the Black Hills of Dakota, they will once again rise
For the Crazy Horse Memorial, will proudly be seen through the Lakota's eyes
The modern America you see, will know it simply as this
Mount Rushmore and four Presidents, against the Lakota's last wish
Time moves on and it certainly never stands still
Its the history of us humans, that we take at will
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore
There was a day on TV
Where westerns were all the rage
You could take your pick
From your TV paper page
Together our masked hero the Lone Ranger
With Tonto kept outlaws in a spin
Have Gun Will Travel was the card
For black dressed professional gunfighter Paladin
Wagon Train kept rolling along
Seth Adams the leader
Flint McCullough chief scout
Old Charlie Wooster was the feeder
Rawhide kept the cattle moving
Gil and Randy kept control
In Dodge City it was Gunsmoke
Marshall Matt Dillon was key role
On the ponderosa it was Bonanza
Where Ben Cartwright was the boss
With his family of three boys
Adam, little Joe and Hoss
Wells Fargo was the stagecoach
Where Jim Hardie was the star
Now these are only some
For they were many more by far
They were the Virginian and the Rifleman
Laramie, Maverick and Cheyenne
The High Chaparral not to mention alias Smith and Jones
These made us all a fan
Cowboys where are you?
Memories of you is our lot
On TV we can’t see
Is this our last shot?
poetgord@2013
Belonging means different things to people
each of us have ideas what is to belong
many throughout their life have roamed
following their own notion staying strong
You choose where you gonna be
that place to call your home
there you would be so peacefully
knowing where you put your comb
Home can be there in that moment
specially enjoying that precise time
it can be in a hostile or good position
no matter what whether to fall or climb
Your feelings will empower you
whatever the situation may be
so go and reap your moment
make sure to climb that tree
You certainly do belong where you are
whether at your Laramie it ain't so far
(QUOTE:
'I belong where I am' - James Stewart in movie the man from Laramie)
Black Hills Legacy
In the vaults of the U.S. government,
Sits a cache of money gathering interest.
But money cannot buy the hearts of a people
In exchange for land and legacy
For breaking the Laramie Treaty.
The ‘Black Hills’ have been raped
Of wealth beyond imagination,
A mere pittance of repayment
For stealing without consequence,
An insult to the Sioux Nation people.
‘Return the land to its rightful owners,
Compensate the victims for your crimes of plunder;
Respect their existence, their heritage, their plight.
Free your children of the shame you have inflicted,
Don’t let greed fester in your hearts any longer,
Now is the time, make the wrong right!’
***
Notes:
1) Laramie Treaty (1868): The ‘Laramie Treaty of 1868 established the “Great Sioux Reservation’ which included ownership of the Black Hills located in present day South Dakota.
2) Indian Appropriations Act of 1876: The ‘Indian Appropriations Act of 1876 was called “Sell or Starve” by the Sioux. The Act cut off rations for the Sioux until they ceased hostilities and relinquished the Black Hills to the United States.
3) Agreement of 1877:The ‘agreement of 1877’ allowed the U.S. government to officially (and forcefully) take away the Black Hills, and relocate the Sioux onto Indian reservations. The lands were then opened to settlement and mining without negotiating with the First Nations People.
There is no record of the transaction of the Sioux selling the land to the United States government.
4) United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians (1980): In 1980, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills had been illegally taken, and that the Sioux should be compensated a sum of $105 million for the Black Hills plus an additional $44 million for the land outside the Black Hills.
The Sioux Nation refused the payment and demand that their lands be returned. They say the land is not for sale.
Ol' Texas Jack he wandered,
He wandered far and wide,
With cactus spikes a blanket,
Locoweed his temporary bride.
And when Ol' Texas Jack was shot
Straight dead---he very nearly died.
But his horse, a sandy mare she was,
Rode in from ancient Mexico.
She kissed him once betwixt the eyes---
He jumped right up
Where his tombstone lies!
Yeah, when Ol' Texas Jack was shot,
Wild Bill was by his side.
He told me this tale I tell to you,
And they both went off to ride.
And if you go to Laramie or maybe
Tombstone too, you'll see them
Playing extras! They'll sit rite next to you!
The pay's real good and the grubs alrite,
And if you stay up all night,
You'll see them riding in the mist.
They're gone. Turn off the lights.
At dawn the bugle's piercin' call roused troopers for another wretched day,
Of curryin' horses, shovelin' manure, drillin', guard duty and gatherin' hay!
Another day of bellerin' sergeants and pompous officers that they must obey!
This and more for a mere thirteen bucks a month - a private's meager pay.
Stumblin' around in dim light they made their bunks and tidied up the bay.
Breakfast was the usual stale bread and rancid bacon, much to their dismay!
After muster roll they fed and saddled their horses for arduous hours of drill.
Fatigue duty was meted out - some hapless lads to fell trees for the mill.
Others detailed to police the grounds, some to tote water from Laramie Crick.
There was always holes to dig and squads were handed shovels and a pick.
At the bugler's call 'To horse!' troopers were sent on perilous missions.
Through hail, rain, mud, dust and snow they endured appalin' conditions!
They took a bath once a week on Saturday night scrubbin' in a barrel.
Recruitin' sergeants failed to mention that a trooper's life would be so sterile!
On paydays they'd visit 'soiled doves' at the 'hog ranch' just down the road,
Or get soused with booze at the sutler's store, then face the penal code!
At days end they mustered for parade as the bugler sounded 'Retreat',
And for supper they 'enjoyed' more stale bread and rancid bacon to eat.
At last, well-earned rest as 'Taps' resounded as in their bunks they lay.
This and more for a mere thirteen bucks a month - a private's meager pay!
Brave Woman
Wounded and outnumbered by U.S. soldiers,
The Northern Cheyenne Warrior ‘Chief Comes in Sight,’
Fights to stay alive in the Rosebud Creek valley,
When his sister spots his predicament,
And jumps on her pony and races to save him.
Amid the arrows, bullets, and killing,
Where, at the moment, the violence ceases;
As the combatants watch the heroic act,
Of ‘Buffalo Calf Road’ rescuing her brother.
The Cheyenne elders call her ‘Brave Woman,’
And name the battle in her honor,
‘The Fight Where the Girl Saved Her Brother.’
Who, alongside her husband, fight Custer
At the Little Bighorn River, in the Great Sioux War.
***
Notes:
1) Battle of the Rosebud (June 17, 1876): The 'Battle of the Rosebud' took place in Big Horn County, Montana on June 17, 1876. In their quest for acquisition of Lakota Sioux lands in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the United States Army broke the Laramie Treaty of 1868 and attacked the Lakota and Cheyenne to force them onto reservations. Crazy Horse led the Native Americans, forcing the U.S. Army to withdraw. The match was fairly even, with approximately 1,100 combatants on each side.
2) Buffalo Calf Road-‘Brave Woman’ (1844 to 1879): Buffalo Calf Road was a Northern Cheyenne woman who saved her wounded warrior brother, Chief Comes in Sight, at the Battle of the Rosebud on June 17, 1876. She fought alongside her husband, Black Coyote, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn (aka Great Sioux War) on June 25, 1876.
Whoa .. I’ve need for some hay
then a trip to the trough to quench my thirst.
I’ve not eaten much; I need to rest this very day
will stop at Laramie, must have a stable first
My saddle is heavy, will need to lighten the load
if you won’t stop you’ll be dumped on the road
I relish your companionship, you’re a good dude
but if I had some rest it will replace my mood.
I’m not allowed in the saloon where you down your shots
but left hitched to the post where I stand and brood
C’mon man has you no mercy that I am tied in knots
while you carouse and frolic and become subdued.
I carried you far along those dusty and rutty trails
endured the heat and the rains that came upon
this is not the days of those old western tales
where riders rode seeking gold in the Yukon.
next time when I see you carry my saddle
I shall buck and prevent you from getting on my back
You’ll be left alone while I promptly skedaddle
I won’t be listening to your yakety-yak.
So dude what its going to be, let me bite the dust
or show me your kindness as you would a friend
I can ride out from underneath you like a wind gust
letting you walk in the heat till your days bitter end.
I am not Wilbur and you’re not Mr Ed
can’t persuade me to live that style
living that role of a star I would opt out instead
rather trot and gallop every day up to a mile
I would not be a race horse nor likes to the show
just to be myself in a open field or coral
Won’t be a work horse with a carriage in tow
just to be at your side and have you as my pal.
the way the rain is falling
the perfection of the chill
makes us laugh as we agree to disagree
we cancel our plans for we are both under the weather
we decide to stay under the covers
an idea for hot soup and orange juice pops into my mind
sniffling while smiling, you nod in agreement while lying to yourself for the sake of getting back to wellness
i quickly prepare the soup and add ice to your glass of orange juice
i bring it back to the bedroom as you smile at the early episode of laramie that you found
i quickly join you in the bed and we slurp up the chunky chicken noodle soup and sip on the ice cold orange juice
sniffling, coughing, and sneezing as one, we enjoy the laramie marathon
being under the weather is, at times, a fun thing to be, when you focus on the quality time that you hardly ever think about when working
the stuff we take forgranted is the stuff that lasting relationships are made of
sorry carly, but today we make 'time for the pain' for it is making us feel better without us even knowing it