This page is dedicated to my Great-great grandfather Wise Owl.
I wrote a poem for him in honor of him and all Cherokee.
WISE OWL
THROUGH YOUR EYES
If I could see through your eyes
What sights would I see
A country divided~~North and South
The white man's tongue promising peace
But delivering only lies.
Could I see the buffalo running free
The water sparkling clean and clear
The woods untouched by white man's vengeance
Tell me please, do I really want to see.
Would I see our people peaceful and full of life
Living in their lodges with wood smoke
Drifting to the stars
Women in their tear dresses, men in ribbon shirts~~turbans
On their heads.
Or would I see our people taken from their land to an unknown
Place full of hatred and strife.
The stories I have heard fiction or fact
Of that fateful day when they shot you in the back
Your horse is racing at a frightening speed
Trees flying by me, no time to take heed
A terrible pain knocks me over and I go slack
You never knew a carpetbagger shot you in the back.
My Cherokee grandfather I never knew
Your blood races through my veins like the speeding horse
I hold my head high with Native Pride
To my Cherokee blood; Wise Owl, I'll always be true.
