He mounts his steed, follows 34 stars
emblazoned on the U.S. 7th Cavalry guidon.
As he marches to the beat of “GarryOwen” glory
he cannot know she’ll inherit his copper tresses
nor does he realize as he charges across the Great Plains
he’s slaying, wounding her ancestors. Only his spirit
will witness her almond eyes read his name
engraved upon stone at Fort Leavenworth
and her tears, glistening like flint, roll
down gentle hills of her cheekbones.
— Rhiannon Ross
The Coop: A Poetry Cooperative 