Sunday, April 1, 2012

86. The Age of Discovery and Conquest


Columbus had an idea.
“I want to sail west to get to the east.”
No one would listen.
“You’re crazy,” they said.
“The world’s too big.”
He went to Spain.
They gave him ships.
He sailed west.
Bumped into a new continent.
Soon others did too.
Spain and Portugal explored that world
Hoping to find riches.
What they found was new land to fight over.
The pope settled the dispute by splitting the new world in two
As if he had that right to do.
Slaves were made of Africans.
The natives of America were killed.
Cortez, the conqueror, ruined many lives in Mexico.
The Aztecs,
Descendants of peoples who crossed the ancient Ice Age land bridge.
Descendants of the Olmecs.
Advanced in math and astronomy.
The great pyramid builders of the new world
Perished because of Spanish quests
For Gold, God and Glory and the new plagues they brought.
They returned the favor
With diseases of their own.
After Spain, other countries moved out.
The Dutch went for profits.
The British claimed their piece in North America.
North America should be watched.
New things are brewing there.

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