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Sophie Elfasi is a Theology and Religious Studies Major on a Pre-Law track from the class of 2026. A Kiowa Princess is a poem dedicated to her late grandmother. "Kiowa Princess" is a title of honor given by the elders of the Kiowa tribe in Oklahoma to women with respected families and reputations. Elfasi's grandmother was given the title in 1945. Her grandmother was and has always been dear to her heart, and she thought to honor her with this poem about who she was. She hopes you can feel the beauty of her grandmother. She has never published a work before this.
To my Grandmother, who passed unjustly.
A Kiowa Princess.
Out of a castle of poverty did she emerge,
already dancing and fighting for her royal land.
The red dirt gave color to her spirit,
And the mountains of her ancestors proved her inheritance.
Where the buffalo roamed and horses slept,
You can still hear the songs of her people riding on the cusp of the wind.
Here, the chiefs walked, the warriors rode, and the Kiowa princess danced.
Old Saynday came to trick her mind,
but the God of the Universe grabbed hold and fought for her hand.
She, the scorching sun, would not fight on this, but instead grabbed back,
Burning her hand in His.
Her spirit unconquerable, tested, but unbreakable.
Her words shot arrows of truth,
Her eyes could kill you.
Yet, her hands were open and soft,
Kisses of sweets and perfume of safety,
Hugs that warmed the Tipi of the honorable house she built.
A Woman of Valor.
A Woman of Beauty.
A Woman clad in tapestry blankets.
A Woman loved by all who had the privilege to be in her presence.
A woman taken too soon.
A woman abandoned by the ones who had no knowledge,
That they were in the midst of a Kiowa princess.
And yet,
She still dances to the beat of her ancestral drums.
She still sings the glories of the God of the Universe that took up His child with Him,
To be in pain no more.
She returns to the red dirt,
To the mountains that sing her name and to be with her people who dance for eternity.
Her drums still beat within me.
Her fire gives me warmth and her arrows have pierced my spirit.
So, I too shall dance to drums and walk the stars in the Heavens.
I too shall clasp the hand of the God of the Universe.
I too shall dance with my people and save their inheritance.
I too,
Will dance with you one day for eternity.
I too,
Shall witness the glory of the Kiowa princess.
Spring 2024
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