Before Us Poem by Randy McClave

Before there was us
There was them,
There was the Native American.
Before the German
And before the Swedish,
Before the Polish or the Yiddish.
Before the Scottish
And before the Indian and the Pakistanis,
And before those from the Middle East.
Before the Russian
And before the Irish and Canadian,
There was the Native American.
Before the Vikings
And before the Romans or the Greeks,
And before the the Spanish and the Cretes.
Before the people from African
And before the English,
Before the Danish and the Finnish.
Before the Japanese or the Chinese
And before the Portuguese or the Mexican,
There was the Native American.

Before any one stepped on the sand
Before anyone built a dock or a Pier,
The Native American's were already here.

Randy L. McClave