This page is Dedicated to :
My
Son and Daughter
and
my son who has gone to be with
the Great Spirit.
You are of Cherokee Blood !!
Be Proud of it!
I have gotten Permission from :
Abe " Del " Jones - on 6-2-2000
to use this on my site.
The Neverending Trail
by
Abe "Del" Jones
We whites honor the "hermitage"
And the man who once lived there-
But, that leader of our Nation
Was cruel, unjust, unfair-
He ordered the removal
Of the Cherokee from their land
And forced them on a trek
That the Devil must have planned-
One thousand miles of misery-
Of pain and suffering-
Because greed of the white man
Could not even wait till spring-
We should bow our heads in shame
Even unto this day
About "The Trail Of Tears" And those
who
died along the way.
It was October,eighteen thirty-eight
When seven thousand troups in blue
Began the story of the "Trail"
Which, so sadly, is so true-
Jackson ordered General Scott
To rout the Indians from their home-
Teh "Center Of The World" they
loved-
The only one they'd known-
The Braves working in the fields
Arrested, Placed in a stockade-
Women and children dragged from
home
In the bluecoats shameful raid-
Some were prodded with bayonets
When, they were deemed to move too
slow
To where the Sky was their blanket
And the cold Earth, their pillow-
In one home Babe had died
sometime in the night before-
And women mourning, planning burial
Were cruelly herded out the door-
In another, a frail Mother-
Papoose on back and two in tow
Was told she must leave her home
Was told that she must go-
She uttered a quiet prayer-
Told the old family dog good-bye-
Then, her broken heart gave out
And she sank slowly down to die-
Chief Junaluska witnessed this-
Tear streaming down his face-
Said if he could have known this
It would have never taken place-
For, at the battle of Horse Shoe
With five hundred Warriors, his best-
Helped Andrew Jackson win that battle
And lay thirty-three Braves to rest-
And the Chief drove his tomahawk
Through a Creek Warrior's head
Who was about to kill Jackson-
But whose life was saved, instead-
Chief John Ross knew this story
And once sent Junaluska to plead-
Thinking Jackson would listen to
This Chief who did that deed-
But, Jackson was cold, indifferent
To the one he owed his life to
Said " The Cherokee's fate is sealed-
There's nothing, I can do".
Washington, D.C. had decreed
They must be moved Westward-
And all their pleas and protests
To this day still go unheard.
On November, the seventheenth
Old Man Winter reared his head-
And freezing cold, sleet and snow
Littered that trail with the dead
On one night, at least twenty-two
Were released from their torment
To join that Great Spirit in the Sky
Where all good souls are sent-
Many humane, heroic stories
Were written 'long the way-
A monument, for one of them-
Still stands until this day-
It seems one noble woman
It was Chief Ross' wife-
Gave her blanket to a sick child
And in so doing, gave her life-
She is buried in an unmarked grave-
Dug shallow near the "Trail'-
Just one more tragic ending
In this tragic,shameful tale-
Mother Nature showed no mercy
Till they reached the end of the line
When that fateful journy ended
On March twenty-sixth, eighteen
thirty-nine.
Each mile of this infamous "Trail"
Marks the graves of four who died-
Four thousand poor souls in all
Marks the shame we try to hide-
You still can hear them crying
Along "The Trail Of Tears"
If you listen with your heart
And not with just your ears.
I want to " Thank You "Abe" for
letting me use this, Its part of my
children heritage,and proud of it!!!!!!
Abe you are quite a poet - you have
touched my heart and i know you have
touch millions also. I am Very proud to
know you !!!!!
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