For readers in the U.S., the poem should be self-explanatory. For others are who aren’t familiar with the story, have a look here.
Do they still have portraits of George Washington in elementary school classrooms? They did when I was young.
Origins
The hides
piled high
in the rickety
old carts
that moved along
the dusty trails.
All across
the plains
that stretched
so vast
the bodies lay
to rot.
The Hatchet
I cannot tell a lie:
the tree’s blossoms
never lost their scent;
the cherries
grew
and then
were picked.
Number 8 in Jazz is Billie Holliday’s Commodore Master Takes.
Tom Simard