crazy horse

01/2011

Crazy Horse sat between two small hills 

on top of a larger hill facing the lake,

the red tailed hawk that led him here

flew high above the ponderosa pines

His senses lifted with his soul towards

the south, feelings of serene calmness 

swept him as his ancestors voices rang

out an alluring song he had never heard

Elders pushed a medicine bundle into his

hands as the spirit current pulled him to 

the west, lightning began to snake 

through the darkening and windy sky

Thunder detonated around him as sleek

shadows shimmered in front of him, "we are

the Wakiyans, you must paint your face 

with the light that tears through mapiya 

You must draw hailstones over your heart

liver and other vital points to protect you

in the quest handed to you from the Great

Spirit" they said as the sun shown through

----------------------------------------------------------

Urging his black and white paint forward,

Crazy Horse and six other warriors raced

towards a hill with the U.S. infantry in 

close pursuit, swears and bullets sang by

Whizzing close to the seemingly escaping

braves as their horse galloped and struggled

to climb over the top of the hill, Crazy Horse

turned and fired his long rifle into blue coats

Several soldiers collapsed but many took their

place as gunshots and powder smoke filled the

air, the braves reached the top and quickly

raced their powerful steeds down the slope

As the pursuing infantry sweep over the top

of the hill they were greeted with the sight

of hundreds of Lakota and Cheyenne warriors

awaiting them with welcoming yelps and cries

Crazy Horse turned Inyan, his paint around to

face the menacing foe, stopping for a moment

he remembered his visions, this was his time,

protector of his people, screaming he charged

Author's Note

For those interested the second part refers to the Battle of the Hundred in the Hand also known as (Fetterman Massacre). Although I'm Irish/Scot I've always had a passion for all things Native American. This is about one of favorite Sioux warlords of all time. Thanks to everyone for your reviews and support.

Reviews

[Hayley]

Very powerful and insightful into this great battle and the emotions associated with it. I only know certain things about the Native Americans; This was eye-opening. It took me to the scene and I was drawn in from the start. I enjoyed the read very much!

[Amila Jay]

Wow, quite a war there, very nice indeed:-)

[Kim's Poems]

Very pwoerful and yes kind of insightful as well. I enjoyed reading this. It's intriguing.

[patricia]

i love all the native american stuff too! have got some great native american music. and films on their history, all they suffered at the hands of the white man. How they were forced to repress their gods. Live on reservations. The fourth and fifth stanza caught their spirit beautifully, i loved it. I cant play the video at the bottom tonight in case it blares something noisy out and wakes the household up! Thanks. A great poem. Loved it.

[Angie Diane♥&hea..]

I loved this piece. I don't read many war writes. I just hate war, but this one was interesting. I liked the picture. My great grandma has some Native American blood in her. I also agree you wrote it well. I like the story you told. Thanks for sharing :3

[Alana McGuire]

Wow. Just wow. This isn't my normal type of story I prefer to read, but you wrote it so well, that I didn't mind reading it. I actually enjoyed it a lot. You have a real gift of captivating the reader and making them yearn to read more.
Thank you for sharing.

[limbalring]

What a beautiful account of Crazy Horse's experience. This piece reminds me of our society's often disconnectedness with the spiritual. It saddens me.

Thank you for sharing this.

[roarke]

I like the two section format.

What I'd like to see is MORE. Take these sections and dig into them. I feel so much more lying just beneath the surface. Why? Because this draft has a lot of personal affinity towards this event and the participants, but you're just on the surface, take you fingers and dig through the paint, pierce the brush strokes to dig at the nerves, the blood, the spirit soaked courage that permeates Native Americans... more.

This is a very good piece, explicit, but now, make it a great piece and expose the raw life beneath it.

[Coyote Poetry]

Crazy horse became more of a legend with time. The way they killed him left a memory of sadness to kill a great chief in the camp open the door to more hate and fear of the white Soldiers. Thank you for the story. Crazy Horse is someone history won't forget. Thank you for the story.
Coyote