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Iwo Jima
Marlon Evans

A Gila River Indian, 18 years old,
Ira Hayes trained to be a tough leatherneck,
paratrooper, and killing machine.

From the cotton fields of the reservation
to the summit and desolation of Mt. Suribachi,
Ira Hayes, a proud Pima Indian and Marine.

Within moments a "coreographed" frame,
on a Japanese island,
transformed him into an instant
national hero, the photo of the flag raising
indelibly branded onto the memory of the world
and its wars.

How poignant and ironic this frame
circa 1945, the redman killing the yellowman,
while on the homefront,
the U.S. government, usurped water and land rights
from the Pima tribe.

The dramatic photo captured movement,
tension, and turmoil,
the flag coiled around the wind
and the Marines,
a symbolic serpent signifying
valor and victory,
frozen in marble permanence.

His heroism nourished non-stop
notoriety, photographs, and booze.
Ira was caught between the spartan
reservation perpetual drunk and
the manifest destiny glamorous
cocktail.

Brapchule, AZ, a blustery freezing morning:
his last spree
jug of wine
alcoholic
exposure
alone
Ira Hayes dead at 32.