TEXAS THOUGHTS - LOOKING OUT A DINER WINDOW

Copperas Cove, Texas, The Pitt Grill, 1993

Indians used to ride here,

Comanches on galloping ponies,

The best light cavalry in the world,

Across where an army post now stands,

That trains

The best light cavalry in the world.

Now, instead of dusty trails and traces,

A highway runs through it.

Across that highway,

A Whataburger sign rises in the air,

Dwarfing the scrub oaks

Which grow here,

Shelter and shade to

Settler, cowboy, Indian,

Rancher, and soldier,

Then and now.

The land was cruel,

Beautiful but cruel,

The people were hard,

But, hard with purpose,

And need.

We've conquered the land,

And the other people,

The first people,

With air conditioning,

Guns,

And greed...

And, perhaps,

In doing so,

We've conquered ourselves.

NOTE: I am aware that "Indian" is not a generally acceptable term, but, I used it for the the historic weight.