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.