I have been to Rag Rock in Woburn, Mass
As a child I found an arrowhead there.
Felt nothing of its native american origins.
I’d heard Native Americans lived there once.
I wish I had visited it as an adult and
Read signs there proclaiming its history.
Although it would have made me sad
If the former inhabitants and their culture
Were driven out of there and possibly
Had broken treaties and their own tears.
As a child I had no idea of their history
Nor of how Native Americans were treated.
All I knew was they were called indians
And were the bad guys in cowboy and
Indians movies and TV shows. Sad how
Distorted it all was, and maybe it’s
Better I didn’t visit Rag Rock as an adult.
It might have made me sad and angry.
Bob Boyd
