Texian

Texian. . , Colonel Juan Almonte, Santa Anna's aide, was the first , To call his attention to the heralding of two golden stars , Floating in the familiar field of green, white and red , Over that unlikely mission fort Alamo, small stars , That foreshadowed the larger single searing symbol , Emblazoning our ultimate flag of Texas independence , We fly so proudly today. And each of the banners , That flew over those many battles, all spoke , With the same unwavering intonation, No! , No, we will not become minions! Imagine with me , The cacophony of these many varied accents, , Of Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, , And Tejano, lilting together in the casting throng, , A composition of the most unlikely of battlefield , Symphonies, a timpani for independence., Walt Whitman wrote in his Leaves, , They were the glory , Of the race of rangers, matchless , With a horse, a rifle, a song, a supper, , Or a courtship, large, turbulent, brave, , Handsome, generous, proud, affectionate, , Bearded, sunburnt, dressed in the free , Costume of hunters, not a single one , Over thirty years of age., These were the men and boys , Of whom Walt called the jetblack , Sunrise at the last battle Goliad, , The same ebony tinted sun that fell on , The hardened rough hewn clay arch , Of the hallowed battlefield Alamo, where , Within the brawny breastworks of both , That simple chapel complex , And the ragtag men staged within , Was mirrored these same Uniquely Texian traits., Texian, Texian, Texian, the word , That soon returned a jetblack siesta , To the soldiers of Santa Anna, In the far flung fields of beach brush, , Mesquite, live oak, and pines , Of the San Jacinto battleground, , Texian, a word immortalized , Now the world over , By the actions of these gallant few., Yet, these were seemingly ordinary men , With common everyday problems, desires, prejudices, , Fraught with human frailties, not ideal or perfected. , It is said that even General Sam Houston , Years before these momentous days, , Standing deeply depressed perched , Top deck on the river boat Red Rover, , Was saved from a suicidal fall by the sudden , Flash of auburn plumage as an eagle, a Cherokee , Omen foretelling a greatness to come, swooped , Auguring down toward him -, Today we stand with one of Houston's resurrected warriors , So perfectly formed by Campobella's sword, ennobled , Amongst these thirteen flags, not an hour's drive north , Of where his grand triumphant destiny brought us ours, , Where the wafting fragrances of salty gulf coast breezes , And the pungent smoke of gun gun powder powder sweated the air , That breathed life into the fledging hopeful breast , Of a stately body to come, making legend these hallowed , Winged emblems now fully realized, as our omens, , Their bright feathers forever woven with the blood , Of these many iron-willed, uniquely, soulful , Menagerie of men: these Texians., David Mercier Parsons, 2011 Texas State Poet Laureate, TEXIAN was composed for and read at the opening, unveiling ceremontes for The Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park on the 175th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 2011.