The Grasshopper War

In the wilds of old New Jersey near where Flemington now stands,
before the white man came, the Lenape took up the land.
And, where Pennsylvania is, another campsite stood;
the two tribes liked to visit back and forth whene'er they could.
The braves would hunt together, while their wives seemed satisfied
to do tasks as they gossiped, and the children played outside.

Then one day, on a visit, one boy glimpsed a streak of green
and caught the biggest grasshopper that he had ever seen.
He laughed with glee while playing with the new pet he had found;
next time he looked up, a gang of kids had gathered round.
He showed off its agility to their admiring eyes.
This grasshopper, they all happily agreed, excelled in size.

Only one lad, filled with envy, wore a scowl upon his face -
shouldn't it be his grasshopper?  It was found in his homeplace!
In haste, he snatched the insect, thus setting off a feud.
For, like a chain reaction, a free-for-all ensued.

All the youth joined in the fray, attacking one another.
Each one taking sides, of course, with his own tribal brother.
The women rushed from the teepees when they heard screams fill the air -
took part, also, and soon were pulling out each other's hair.

The braves returned from hunting later on; that's when they found
the injured, spent and bleeding, and huddled on the ground.
Both tribal chiefs swore vengeance, and this epic tale of woe
saw the guests who'd come in friendship stagger down the path as foe.

What had started off as child's play ended in a trail of gore.
It's recorded in their annals as the big "Grasshopper War."

- Lillian Arnold Lopez "Pineylore"

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