Buckskin brown eyes stare deep into the fire
Leathery brown faces turn up toward vast, starlit sky
Sinewy brown muscles tensed up like wire
Tomorrow will be... a good day to die

Shell necklace enclosed in long brown fingers
Aquiline nose streaked with red ocher dye
On his brave brown brothers, sad gaze achingly lingers
Tomorrow will be... a good day to die

Crackling mesquite, sparks rush into the night
Great horned Owl glides o'er on wings soft as a sigh
Wizened warriors look up, brown eyes mirror firelight
Tomorrow will be... a good day to die

piebald and pinto ponies, ripping sparse desert fare
for pitiful provenance, from land so desolate and dry
long manes brushed by gentle strokes of sage scented air
tomorrow will be... a good day to die

moon light reflected in barrels of heavy, Henry rifles
pried from stiffened, cold fingers of dead troopers where they lie
shiny forty caliber cartridges, and from pockets, small bloodied bibles
tomorrow will be a good day to die

Rattlesnake rattle, shaken in hand of shriveled old Shaman
Deep, aged brows wrinkled, as in quest of the why
Old wise man, in curling smoke, sees omens so solemn
tomorrow will be... a good day to die

Ashes to embers, fire sleeps, and warriors slumber
Sentries seen in silhouette, hear the killdeer's predawn cry
warriors rise, apply bold battle stripes of umber
today will be... a good day to die

Solemn homage to the sun god, the wind and the earth
monotone prayer with arms and bows held up on high
War pony mounted, adorned with feather braided girth
ride off into legend and perhaps become one with the sky
today is most surely... a good day to die