After Wounded Knee | Teen Ink

After Wounded Knee MAG

March 1, 2009
By Elise Lockwood BRONZE, Carmel, Indiana
Elise Lockwood BRONZE, Carmel, Indiana
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

You still wear that old war paint
(angry lines slashed above your eyes)
I can feel you waiting for the battle to come
(spikes of red staining your cheeks)
There are no pawing horses now
No painted hands on their haunches
(the number of warrior souls you stole)
No noonday sun beating on bare backs
No smell of sweat and leather and bravery
Puncturing the familiar woodsmoke
(breastplates of porcupine quills, feathers in hair)
No ululations of war, yelling at fear
No singing, no dancing, no tribes, no homes
(scars left from the struggle free from the sun)
Just a drum drum drum beat
(a piece of flesh left for the Great Spirit)
Piercing through dreams.


The author's comments:
This was inspired by the Battle at Wounded Knee in 1890, a massacre of the Sioux.

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This article has 129 comments.


on Apr. 27 2009 at 3:07 pm
CressFerriera GOLD, Richmondville, New York
16 articles 0 photos 9 comments
Would be excellent, except for the fact that the phrases in the parenthesis are distracting from the poem's greatness

on Apr. 27 2009 at 8:13 am
Kumanga DIAMOND, Bethel, Alaska
56 articles 0 photos 95 comments

Favorite Quote:
Always Accept nd love urself for who u are!

yea its good.. lol pppl say ppls poems are good,, some ppls

on Apr. 22 2009 at 9:20 pm
blackamethyst GOLD, Centerville, Ohio
11 articles 0 photos 132 comments
this was really cool. i think its amazing that you can make this interesting -- it's something usually seen as a boring social studies topic. thanks for sharing!

on Mar. 19 2009 at 7:51 pm
Good imagery, I can see all that you describe. Way to go Elise.

on Mar. 18 2009 at 12:45 pm
this is a amazing poem. i can picture it and i love the words you used to describe things. good job elise!

Faysie said...
on Mar. 16 2009 at 7:28 pm
This poem captures us and catapults us anew into that historical tragedy with powerful images that we can see, hear, smell, and feel. The poet has a talent for description: I especially love "the smell of bravery" and "yelling at fear." Elise is a gifted poet indeed!

harblarghguh said...
on Mar. 16 2009 at 2:50 am
The vivid imagery and eloquent diction of this mastery of the English language positively enthralled me as i read it. It invoked emotions of pain, empathy, and remorse, yet left me feeling as thou my life was somehow more fulfilled.

e. w. said...
on Mar. 16 2009 at 2:17 am
Beautiful! Love the rhythm of this poem.

Ronayne said...
on Mar. 16 2009 at 12:39 am
What an amazing poem---and I love that it was inspired an historical event. This poem brings the Battle at Wounded Knee to the present. The sound and meaning relationship here is strong.