1492 Poem by Julian Takali

By the lake and the orchard trees
They gathered goods and exchanged for free
Huts from both sides of the horizon
As pure as can be
Saturdays spent bathing in the
Lush waterfalls
Exploring the handsomest of forests
They hunted, fabricated clothes and constructed homes
They belonged to the Earth; enslaved to life
Tanned, with huaraches and buffalo fur coating their leather
A placid scene
Love fueled everything from harvest to the weather
Then 1492
A curt interruption by the vices of civilization
Columbus and his boys stomped proudly
They had booze, drugs, and mankind's cruelest treasures
While the men were drunk
Their women were by Columbus' side
Feeding him grapes and opening their trunks
Oh what glory these idiots possess!
The whites preached of a better way
Gave hope of more than just barley and hay
The browns with the elegant crowns
Were undeceived
So they exchanged once more
Liquor and jackets traded for a callow lands fortune
But they took their purity; for free