Lords of the Prairies - A Tribute To The Bison
Dressed in my shaggy brown coat
I stand almost six feet
at my shoulders
and weigh almost a ton
I once roamed the prairies
in herds of millions
grazing on its grass
which fed and nourished
my brethren and I
for tens of thousands of years
Running at speeds of
over thirtyfive miles per hour
across the prairie
in herds that stretched
as far as the eye could see
our hooves created
a thunderous sound
that shook the earth
causing it to tremble
like an earthquake
We were slaughtered
in our millions
They left our dead bodies
to rot and decay
where we fell
Sometimes they took away our coats
other times they cut out
our tongues only
and left the rest
of our dead bodies
to putrefy and decay
on the prairie grasslands
that we had trod proudly on
for thousands of years
This is my epitaph
for I just saw the glint
of the sunlight
on the long mysterious stick
and heard its thunder
and felt something
go deep into my insides
as I fall to the ground
I shall go the way
of my proud ancestors
who once roamed
these lands in freedom as
Lords Of The Prairies
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted: Jun 2014
About this poem:
The arrival of vast waves of white settlers in the 1800s, and their conflict with the Native American residents of the prairies, spelled the end for the buffalo.
There were even buffalo killing contests. In one, a Kansan set a record by killing 120 bison in just 40 minutes. “Buffalo” Bill Cody, hired to slaughter the animals, killed more than 4,000 buffalo in just two years.
Some U.S. government officials even promoted the destruction of the bison herds as a way to defeat their Native American enemies, who were resisting the takeover of their lands by white settlers. One Congressman, James Throckmorton of Texas, believed that “it would be a great step forward in the civilization of the Indians and the preservation of peace on the border if there was not a buffalo in existence.” Soon, military commanders were ordering their troops to kill buffalo — not for food, but to deny Native Americans their own source of food. One general believed that buffalo hunters “did more to defeat the Indian nations in a few years than soldiers did in 50.” By 1880, the slaughter was almost over. Where millions of buffalo once roamed, only a few thousand animals remained.
Comments (11)
Excuse me for not being more specific in the title; I have adjusted it accordingly.
I wrote this piece as a tribute to the bison who were slaughtered in their millions and left to rot on the Prairies.
Thanks for your comment!
Have a nice day!
Well, I feel so embarrassed right now.
I really thought it was about horses running wild and free.
Will pay more attention next time.
Thanks for your comment.
The poor innocent animal was used as a pawn to overcome the Native Indians. What a tragedy!
Have a lovely day!
Don't be embarrassed. I should have been more explicit, which I subsequently was, in the title and in "about this poem".
At least, you sensed the freedom of the animals as they roamed the Prairies.
Have a great day!
This were like elephants in Africa
They had no equals in their land
Beautiful poem my dear friend
Kathy
I live in the land of their summer range
found artifacts the natives used to hunt
and even some old bones hidden in the bush
I can only imagine them roaming and grazing
the vast flat lands of the praires .
keep up the good work!