A STRAY ARROW

Native Americans fight for territory

Elder chief, a peaceful man who puffs on his pipe

and hums at seasonal celebrations

spends days in his tepee

he is worshiped by his tribe like a protective God

wrinkled and in poor health

he lays in a deep slumber on and off

and often dreams that his only son

is summoned to fight war with foreign tribes

the chief perceives he is a trained warrior

yet always fears the worst

he is a man of peace

villainous natives loom close by

threatening his large reservation

insisting they own a piece of it

 

Battles persist for months

warriors on horses’ shout orders to their peers

bearing their bows and arrows determined to win

arrows whizz by them, flying like bats

they retaliate and aim for the evil chief and his two cohorts

young son pierces the chest of one

his blood boils and his anger peaks

so that he deftly punctures the bodies of more enemy warriors

 

at once silence permeates the sanguinary scene

most of the enemy warriors die or suffer bloody wounds

horses lay on muddy earth, heads and limbs scattered

guts spill out, low level whines echo to the sky

one more stray arrow flies by and strikes the chief’s young son in his chest

bleeding and struggling for life, he seizes his last breath

 

The chief awakens with a startle, droplets on his cheeks

only a dream he recalls, then summons his son for

the celebration dances under the stars

with drums and flutes they inspire to a tribal beat

singing to the sun God, they shriek and whistle

the chief follows them with a gold tooth smile

 

 

Author's Note

Photo : Pinterest
Thank you for reading... ideas from my childhood

Reviews

[Mauricio Montoya]

Stray arrow, broken arrow this is a write to be remembered, thank you for sharing.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you Mauricio. appreciate your review!
Warmly, N

[Neville]

I have a thing about North American first nation folk .. so very spiritual & nothing like they are so frequently portrayed on celluloid .. I made a point of visiting an early reservation when I first went to the US many moons ago .. I truly also enjoyed this subsequent visit .. Neville

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you, so appreciated
Warmly, B

[Neville]

My absolute pleasure Betty .. Neville

[Ken Simm.]

I am going to venture that the man who sat on the ground in his tipi meditating on life and its meaning, accepting the kinship of all creatures, and acknowledging unity with the universe of things, was infusing into his being the true essence of civilization.”

― Chief Luther Standing Bear from the Lakota Sioux

[Betty Hermelee]

Maybe!!!! Thank you Ken for your knowledgeable review of the Native American Tribes....
Warmly, B

[emmajoygreen]

Betty, many, many thank yous for what I want to call a history lesson with an enormous heart. Start to finish you took me on a path that I know little about. However you've nudged me into a future search for information about these tragic people in a past that claimed lives and personal HOME-land. This lesson is visually clear, sadly offered but - via your very creative ability - beckons: read more - and more.

[Betty Hermelee]

Dearest Em
I'm so happy I introduced you to a minuscule amount of knowledge about the Native American Tribes; there is much much more.... And of course thank you immensely for that very flattering review!!! You're probably asleep by now, but i wish you sweet dreams!
Warmly, B

[Arundass TP]

Great historical epic. Read if I am seeing a film. Enjoyed reading

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you so much AP, much appreciated!
Warmly, B

[FGFRANKLIN]

An interesting native tale. Interactions among the tribes were often warlike or aggressive. Not so far removed from modern man if I may make the observation. I enjoyed the read.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you FG ,appreciated....
Warmly, B

[Dave Brown]

How did I miss this?
I grew up between 2 large reservations, had many native friends and your quality write has managed to get my back up, again!
Altho, as John says, the natives regularly fought against each other, it was the lying, cheating, murdering, ruthless, barbaric white-man that delivered the coup-de-gras to natives as a whole, in as merciless a manner as possible, even facilitating the slaughter of 60 million buffalo in 5 yrs, just to take away their food supply.
I'd better stop, I have always been so pee'd off about all this I could write on forever!!!!!!!!
But, nicely done, warmly..BESTB
BTW, Prime has a series called 'Chiefs' on now, which altho it doesn't cover anywhere near enough ground, it does do a fairly decent job.
Might be worth a look??
He commented.

[Betty Hermelee]

DAVIE!!! I know roughly where you live and yes much tribal culture... give me some lessons!!
Thank you for an in depth review...
Warmly, BESTB

[Soren]

Native Americans always getting a raw deal, even when they fought each other. Romantic western Betty.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you Soren, I guess I watched too many as a kid
Warmly, B

[Anita Frader]

What a wonderfully written story. 💛

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you Anita, much appreciated!
Warmly, B

[Anita Frader]

You're welcome 😊

[Poetic Beauty]

Dreams can seem so real that it tugs on our emotions and mental state for a short time. I knew be the story of the peaceful chief and the terrible nightmare of a battle that kills his son. Love the description and the whole storyline in this piece.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you so much PB for your great review, much appreciated!!!
Warmly, B

[Poetic Beauty]

You are welcome!! I loved this tale