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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Westward Migration by CFT

Clamoring for gold in California’s hills,
the forty-niners panned, raked, and shook the land
‘til what remained was only loose rocks and fill.

1 in 20 was dealt a richer hand
than what fed him in his previous home
That’s better odds than most could stand.

Though Sacagawea could walk the path alone,
Lewis and Clark used her because they knew that she
would know the people who needed to be known

Her “Oregon trail” went as far as the eye could see
“Land for the taking…
A new frontier,” said Manifest Destiny

The buffalo herds, once grand and racing
disappeared as the railroad ripped and filed
transcontinental tracks with steady pacing.

10 miles a day and 400 rails per mile
brought telegraph and visitors
through gaping holes blown into mountain sides.

The mountain views, the canyon floor,
and changes in the greenery
could not be stopped with this now open door.

Changes in the scenery
was nothing compared to destruction of people’s lives.
The Supreme Court could not even stop the thievery.

The Trail of Tears moved Native People 4,000 miles
away from whence they came.
Promises of a better life, land, and claim. All lies.

After all that, nothing was ever the same.