James M M Baldwin
Earthen mother’s cold winds blowing
Over valleys season’s snowing
Disappointed hearts are growing
Coal black eyes humility
Into darken’d depth’s despairing
On broad shoulders burdens bearing
among the tribe sorrow sharing
Longing for tranquility
Entire people’s nation suff’ring
Open wounds without a cov’ring
Disembodied spirits hov’ring
Changes in earth’s energy
Along solemn red road trav’ling
Hopes of multitudes unrav’ling
Ev’ry child’s dreams abandoning
Farewell to the elderly
Across a vacant valley guarding
Ghostly apparitions parting
Ancient sorrows place of starting
Generations sacrifice
Tragedy goes on unending
Face of happiness pretending
Predecessors’ souls ascending
To the afterworld enticed
Luminescent life-force beaming
Flying flitting floating gleaming
Agonizing voices screaming
Far off hungry babies cry
Seeking honor noble beings
Far from their oppressors fleeing
Future generations freeing
Brave men falling down to die
Ev’ry step humiliating
Stolen breath suffocating
Cold forgotten end awaiting
Men and women one last breath
Feet upon their last march shuffling
Frozen winter winds blustering
A once proud people suffering
Meet their destination; Death
Written in the form of H P Lovecraft's "Despair"
Inspired by the book "Crying for a Vision: A Rosebud Sioux Trilogy, 1886-1976" by Don Doll (Editor), Jim Alinder (Editor), John A. Anderson (Photographer), Eugene Buechel (Photographer), Herman Viola (Introduction), Ben Black Bear Jr. (Foreword)
