This poem was written about 6 years ago. It was written for one of the most important and influential men I have ever come across in all the reading I have done over the years. At the time when I discovered who he was and what he stood for I realized that I was not only reading the words of a great American, but a superior human being. I was very fortunate a couple of years ago to read this poem at a poetry gathering on the beach of English Bay in Vancouver and after I read it a man came up to me and thanked me . . . he was a relative of this great Chief and I felt honoured to be in his presence.
Joseph,
The ghostly sadness of your face
will not go away.
It haunts me continuously,
Lingering
inside the corridors
of my heart.
I sometimes wonder if
you are weeping
from that other dimension
and if the tears you weep
are trying to cleanse
the echo of the past.
Ah . . . such a travesty of injustice.
Such a cruel and spiritual horror
inflicted upon a man
whose only prayer
was to stop the senseless killing.
Even as you watched your people
face their inevitable doom
there was no hatred
in your person.
You once said that you would take
your heart out and hold it
in your hands
to show the white race
that you bore no hard feelings
toward them.
But they couldn't see inside you,
could they?
They wouldn't admit that their enemy
was one who went
out of his way
to avoid conflict.
Today, as I sit staring
at your portrait hanging
on the wall,
I wonder if the Generals who pursued you
ever came to realize
the terrible grievance
they inflicted
upon your soul.
For it was your soul
they attacked.
It was your internal essence
they assaulted
with their persistent aggression,
not
your
body.
Ah Joseph,
All you ever wanted
was to be left alone
so that your children
could wander free
and hear the call of the eagle
in flight.
But they wouldn't allow that to happen.
They cut through
the breast of the Earth
and hurled your people
into the open wound
Oh Joseph,
I see you now
as I have seen you
so many times in the past . . .
standing before them
on the day of your surrender,
heart-sick,
wrapped in a blanket
with the windy snow
blowing into your face.
What thoughts,
What incredible anguish
you must have felt
at that moment,
listening to the children
crying out in hunger
while the old ones
suffered in silence.
Joseph,
as you look down
from the spirit world
is your teepee warm
beside a river
of stars?
Are you home?
Is it Spring now?
Joseph,
is it true that you died
of a broken heart?
Joseph,
Oh Joseph . . .
The loons are wailing
in the Wallowa tonight
and the rivers weep
with 100 years
of sorrow.
A contest entry
- Write me a Poem about History {{Editted to Allow Pre-Writes}} by SpydurPoet.
705 points, ended August 19, 2007, 27 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - N IS FOR NATIVE...Going TRIBAL on way to Z by BLUE REW by Blue Rew.
897 points, ended August 29, 2007, 13 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 10 of 10
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Haunting...
This is what first comes to mind.
Then I see the compassion, the wisdom, the sorrow at this great loss of a soul that could not know hate.
You have done Joseph and his people a great honor with this write and I for one intend on recognizing it with honor as well. Blue
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I have been haunted by the magnificent face of Joseph. It is the face of a world leader, a leading actor, a painting by one of the masters. You have certainly given it a frame. Thank you for loving this man and causing us to love him.
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Wow. That was such a powerful powerful poem. I loved it. It was full of emotion, which was a big plus in this contest. You did an excellent job. Thank you for entering!
Write on.
~*~SP~*~
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Dear Marc
At the onset you called this an elegy, and I've got to tell you that it more than meets any requirements for that category.
It is, however, an elegy of a very great personage. I know next to nothing about Chief Joseph's travails at the hands of the US Government and the ultimate surrender in the northwest. But what I do remember comforts me.
There is a quote I remember which seems apropos as it pertains to him.
"One person and the truth constitute a majority."
Thanks for this heartfelt rendering.
John-Las VEegas, Nevaada
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Marc this is so touching, even though I am down under I have always been drawn to the native american and their journey of peace until white man drove them from their lands and the peaceful existence. Really nothing has changed we just fight another enemy we really have no knowledge of, besides the hate in hearts.
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Haunting
Joseph was a man far greater than the injustices they could inflict upon him. He stayed true to himself and his unwavering heart. This poem is truely poignant of a greedy people destroying what was not a danger to them at all. I know, I am of the greedy race. This is a wonderful tribute to a deserving figure in history.
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I am a Metis. I can relate to Joseph. This brilliant man fought so hard and so long to be left alone. Yet those greedy war mongering generals never gave him peace nor his people any peace. Even today his people struggle just to make it through another day.
Great write indeed! Such sorrow and such heartbreak. -
Chief Joseph was indeed an amazing man of noble character and resolve. His was a tragic story. This poem is a beautiful piece of writing, filled with the anguish and heartbreak that he must have endured. Joseph has always inspired me in fact the quote I use here on AP is his..."It does not require many words to speak the truth"
A wonderful piece of writing.
Rory
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It is nearly impossible to comment on this. It stands on it's own, as did Joseph. Full of life, and hope and sadness. Indescribably beautiful testament to a Great Chief. Heartfelt thanks for this write.
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OMG, amazing piece that belongs to the rivers of my heart...
"They cut through
the breast of the Earth
and hurled your people
into the open wound..."
There was a picture that circulated for a time, when they put him on a little, his raised arm frozen....they asked to have it taken off such public display and I have not seen it since...I come from that fist.
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