JBentley

Not Just Horses

 

Since the beginning of what we call civilization 
Young men earned respect by going to war
Once that need to fight for a reason was gone
Nothing to seek battlefield honor for

Nations go to war for many other reasons
Mercenaries risk all for fortune and fame
Without seeking something inside the warrior
Campaigning for trinkets just not the same

Native Americans braves stole horses
This ability made them big men in their tribe
The number of horses gave him standing 
Many horses showed what he had inside

Horses showed courage, strength and cunning 
Necessary to continue a way of life
This cycle extending tribal ways longer
Braves were forged like the hunting knife

The Indian couldn’t adapt to winter warfare
Deer and buffalo gone no food to find 
The brave spent his time feeding the tribe
Seeking honor now far from his mind

Without game to hunt the native would starve
To fight or eat would determine his fate
He had never had a need for supply lines
The Native Americans had to assimilate 

Some complain Native Americans mistreated 
They believe Natives didn’t do the same thing
Tribes conquered those who came before 
With each conquest new ways to bring

We must not allow our culture to be changed
By those seeking change for change’s sake 
If we allow the immoral to alter our society
All that we stand for will surely break

We must look forward as we maintain
A way of life sacrificed, fought and died for
Keep an eye to history and never lose sight of
What our nation stands for at its very core


JBentley-23Aug2024