
Along the Trail of Tears

Chicasaw . . . Cherokee . . . Choctaw . . .
Muskogee . . . Seminole . . .
names echoing through history,
remnants of once proud, sovereign nations.
Restless spirits walk here among the trees
and along the shores of the mighty Arkansas,
shadowy figures from a time long past.
Footsteps silent in death fall lightly on the path.
Tears bright as stars flow into the waters below
on a sad journey to the distant sea.
Sightless eyes turn ever eastward
to lands and homes long left behind.
A stranger in this shadow-land,
dare I intrude upon their silent vigil?
Yet I am drawn into their presence
eager to know their story, honor their memory,
that their spirits may walk in peace,
knowing they are not forgotten
so long as time remains.