This world is of me
And I am of it
It makes me who I am
What I must be
The birds fly freely
They are my family
Teaching freedom
The bear and buffalo - my family
Teaching strength, endurance
The beaver and tortoise - my family
Teaching perseverance, patience
The wolf - my family
Teaching loyalty, friendship
The fox - my family
Teaching wisdom, insight
The air - my breath
The river - my blood
The grass - my bed
The starry night - my blanket
To remove any piece of this
Diminishes me
Suffocates me
Destroys me
When I fight
Not only for my people but my family
To die fighting is the way of my family
To resist servitude until my death is honorable
The time of resistance is now
To fight or be broken
To stand tall - not to crawl
The day my breath joins the wind will be a good day.
Claude H Oliver II
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-spirit-of-crazy-horse/