The Resurrection of General Custer

It's the middle of a long winter

The townspeople gather around the grave

The government keeps it green on top

below it's frozen granite

as if to say somethings are best left alone

Men begin to dig

Their shovels strike bone

Ol' George is looking bad today

The women call “time”

The potato salad won't wait in this heat

The scribes look amazed

Flash powder warms the meal

Up he comes full of arrows

split from groin to brain

quickly the women tell men

to stand aside

pliers and thread are utilized

Fur coats are needed next winter

the women say

and a new red sports car for shopping

The men dream of fishing poles

Soon George begins to sputter

The women have triumphed

Men begin to mutter

realizing they must tell him

what has happened

beer has been spilled

The Indians are angry

General George calls for the Captain

The men tell George

Captain Yates fell at Little Big Horn

A Custer epiphany

Any captain will do says George

Soon a Captain drives George

and the spirit of businessmen

with deep pockets

that keep getting deeper

towards the reservation

to soothe the savages

It's a rough meeting once again

Captain Hooky Jack rushes George away

Returning to the graveside

George is once again

full of arrows

this time invisible

they have been cemented

into the bones

Little notes tied to each arrow

provide a list of grievances

that again will go unheeded

Motels will be empty

bars will serve fewer beverages

fast food goes unsold

and still refuses to rot in the dumpsters

The women of Hay Camp

no longer dream of fur coats

The men can live with their black SUVs

one more year

George decides the grave is boring

and opens a store

in a fancy building

The sign reads

Arrows 25 cents

The inventory grows daily

in this greedy town

where jail provides a warm bed

houses can be cold

and children are abused
by rich...white...men

Barry G. Wick