Buffalo Soldier
Sonnet

Black regiments formed after Civil War,

Horseback Cavalry units  known for valor.

Served and protected Southwest and Great Plains,

Fighting for U.S. military campaigns.

 

Buffalo Soldier, the nickname bestowed,

Apaches said hair and fighting spirit showed.

Like a revered bison or buffalo,

Brave acts from San Juan Hills to Idaho. 

 

Songwriters Bob Marley and Sporty King,

Wrote ‘Buffalo Soldier’ with reggae ring.

Black Americans ‘fighting on arrival’, 

And black Jamaicans ‘fighting for survival’,

 

Marley’s anthem portrayed the Buffalo Soldier’s persistence,

A symbol of courage, honor and black resistance.

 

 

Richard C. Welch, Jr.

December 14, 2018

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