CHEROKEE JOE AND THE BEAR
" Cherokee Joe and the Bear "
I always loved Joe's stories
Lord only knows if they were true
But one of my favorite stories
Was after Joe had ridden with the Sioux
-
For a time he lived in a village
It set by a river at the edge of the plains
Tracking one of the last herds of buffalo
Joe returned before the summer rains
-
Feeling the herd would soon pass by
The tribes anticipation was bright
What no one had realized
A great evil now lurked in the night
-
For near this river
Where the fishing was fair
Stalked a menacing creature
In the form of a bear
-
That night it came out of the river
Where the water ran deep
Suddenly attacking without warning
While most lay asleep
-
Warriors rushed to defend
But were caught in it's wrath
The bear went on a rampage
Killing all in its path
-
Joe was hit in the head
Leaving four gashes deep and wide
Still Joe had drawn blood
Sinking his arrow deep in its hide
-
Before slipping back into the darkness
The bear stopped to rise
And with a look of pure hatred
Stared into Joe's eyes
-
The Shaman praised Joe's courage
Saying he fought with a heart that was true
But he gave Joe this warning
The bear will be coming for you
-
You've angered it's spirit
Which now burns with a fiery hate
To save this village you love
You must leave and meet your fate
-
When Joe left the next morning
He prayed his strength wouldn't drain
And that this powerful bear
Would follow him out on to the plain
-
He knew his prayer had been heard
When a great silence filled the air
Then off in the distance
He got a glimpse of the bear
-
Joe rode his pony hard
It's endless hoof beats the only sound
But his pony tired and stumbled
Throwing Joe onto the ground
-
On foot for two days
His only weapon a knife
He knew the bear would soon find him
And then surely take his life
-
Joe had set some small traps
To try and hold the bear at bay
But without his pony
Joe knew he couldn't get away
-
His traps soon proved useless
This bear was bigger than most
Yet he moved through the darkness
With the silence of a ghost
-
Joe had fashioned a spear
From an old branch that he found
And it was here on the plains
Cherokee Joe would stand his ground
-
Joe prayed to the Great Spirit
As darkness grew near
Asking that the Great Spirit above
Take away all his fear
-
Joe prayed for a miracle
As he knelt in the cool night air
Asking the Great Spirit to grant him
A strength more powerful than the bear
-
Joe listened for an answer
But only silence filled the plains
With just the distant rumble of thunder
Announcing the coming rains
-
Then out of the darkness
He heard a growl deep and low
And from the light of his fire
The bear's eyes seemed to glow
-
Joe circled the fire
Lighting the end of his spear
With a war cry he rushed forward
As the bear moved near
-
His spear found its mark
And Joe went on the attack
But it did little more
Than drive the bear back
-
Again and again
Joe stabbed away with his knife
Until a heavy blow from the bear
Nearly ended Joe's life
-
As he staggered to his feet
Joe scooped up the heated sand from the fire
Then flung it into the face of the bear
As he felt his own strength suddenly tire
-
Twice more Joe sank his knife into the bear
But his efforts were in vain
Joe was knocked through the air
His body now racked deep in pain
-
Now battered and bloody
He knows his life was now the bear's to take
But at just that very moment
The ground began to tremble and shake
-
Hearing what echoed like a thundering roar
Something suddenly brushes past his hair
Joe looked on in disbelief
As something huge slammed into the bear
-
Suddenly chaos was all around him
The ground seemed to shake out of control
The noise was almost deafening
Lightning had stampeded the herd of buffalo
-
Protected behind a large rock to his back
In awe Joe stares with a grin
As the bear is swallowed up in the stampede
Then trampled over and over again
-
As he slips into unconscionness
Joe's spirit has been lifted from despair
Knowing his miracle had been granted
By a force even more powerful than the bear
-
When Joe came too the next morning
The old Shaman was sitting by his side
Warriors were looking at the bear's body
Finally asking how it died
-
As Joe told them the story
No one made a sound
Finally someone shook their head
Saying there's not a track upon the ground
-
The herd had moved to the south
He said, they're at least three days away
They couldn't have killed the bear
The herd never came this way
-
Finally the old Shaman stood and spoke
The mighty bear didn't die from man's knife or bow
He was killed in a great battle
By the Spirit of the mighty Buffalo
-
Joe carried those scars until his death
It came at the age of ninety three
But in the hearts of those who knew him
Cherokee Joe died a warrior proud and free !
-
Robert PledgerŠ
2/4/09
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