Geronimo's Raid

Painting by Arnold Friberg


Geronimo's Raid


It’s almost like a dawn raid
by Geronimo against a Mexican village,
peacefully asleep,
so far as anyone knew,
so far as the babies knew.

Even today, those surprise Geronimo raids
are enough to upset the Pentagon
enjoying otherwise hospitable affairs
with nefarious dictators,
so far as anyone knows.

I’m almost of a mind
to declare Martial Law
against Geronimo,
except for all those legends
about his brujo soul
seeping like genocidal smoke
through the beautiful crags and crevices
of our beloved Nineteenth Century
immigrant foreheads.

It’s almost like a dawn raid
by Geronimo against a Mexican village,
babies sleeping, so far as they knew,
so far as anyone knew.


Alan Britt

Posted over on Ken Again