Ten Little Indians

One little
Two little
Three little Indians...

Christopher Columbus
Sailed across the shining sea
To find a sweet land
Abundant and free
A pure native people
With culture so rich
In this new, wild country
They carved well their niche
But strange diseases
From a far away land
Killed off the natives
Each woman, each man
Still others were raped
And slaughtered and maimed
Said Chris, "These savage beasts
Must be broken and tamed!"
The few that were left
Were soon quarantined
They're still on reservations
Far removed and unseen

Four little
Five little
Six little Indians...

Still now there are others
Who live different ways
For one, the sweet land's
Lesbians and gays
A loving people with
Talent and caring
Creative endeavors
And humanist sharing
Again strange disease
From a far away land
Killed off the gays
Man after man
Still others were beaten
And murdered and maimed
Said the Church, "It's open season!
Their sins to be blamed!"
But the few that were left
Pulled to each other in spite
For their rights as God's children
Together they'd fight

Seven little
Eight little
Nine little Indians...

First the natives
Then the blacks
And then women
And the Jews
When will we embrace
Other people's views?

Then there's the aged
And Hispanics
The Asians
And the gays
When will we learn
To accept other ways?

When growing up
Learning in school
That America was
The Home of the Free
When will that freedom
Include you, include me?

Till that day
I will kneel down and pray
For those ten little Indian boys

©Chikara 1993