From Issue No. 5, featuring three poems by Peter Huggins (who is a regular poetry contributor to Terrain.org):

"Pocahontas" by Robert Matthew Sully, 1842.

Thomas Rolfe on Pocahontas

by Peter Huggins

My mother was a princess,
Daughter of Chief Powhatan,
And Lady Rebecca at court.
I believe King James would have
Married her himself.  She was
That beautiful.  And brave.
She stopped Smith’s execution
By placing herself in the axe’s
Path and implored her father
To spare Smith’s life.
I love that story.  It does
Her justice and if I could dance
As well as she, I’d dance
That story all the time.
Even when she was held hostage
To force peace between Powhatan
And the Virginians, her grace
Pulled her through.
She captivated her captors,
My father included, and fell in love
With him.  Who couldn’t love her?
I thought my father would die
With her when she contracted
Smallpox before we left England.
He was never the same.
After I finished my education,
I couldn’t remain in England.
Virginia called me home.
Virginia is where I belong.
I see my mother everywhere,
In tree, field and stream.
When I see the tall-masted ships
Put into port, I wonder she didn’t
Stay in the forest forever.

~~~

View this poem and two others by Peter Huggins at http://www.terrain.org/poetry/5/huggins.htm.