Have you ever read The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott?
A beautiful narrative poem about deep love and passion,
With beastly men and humane beasts?
I have.
At the time of the Civil War,
It was imperative that war leaders knew how to read and write,
As written communication was the key to success.
Kit Carson was a Civil War colonel, a pioneer, trail-blazer and sharpshooter.
And... he was illiterate.
A beautiful narrative poem about deep love and passion,
With beastly men and humane beasts?
I have.
At the time of the Civil War,
It was imperative that war leaders knew how to read and write,
As written communication was the key to success.
Kit Carson was a Civil War colonel, a pioneer, trail-blazer and sharpshooter.
And... he was illiterate.
But he was also loyal, determined, grounded, brave, cunning-
An optimistic when needed but aware of his limits,
Yet always striving to break past his boundaries anyway.
It was his animalistic instincts that got him into the Army,
Not his intellect.
Kit Carson was not an educated man,
But he loved poetry.
Especially The Lady of the Lake.
Growing up, I adored him.
He pastoralized the West for me-
A fairytale man living in a not-so-fairytale land,
Yet making it sound like something from a romance novel.
Like a true knight.
But, like a true knight,
Kit Carson had gaps in his armor.
He was not perfect,
He was not insuperable,
And that's why he inspires me.
I have my own fatal flaws that hold me down.
But if Kit Carson can rise to the rank of colonel
Within seven months of joining the Army,
I feel like I can rise to the challenge
And lead my own life without fear.
Which is why I have adopted his name
As my own.
An optimistic when needed but aware of his limits,
Yet always striving to break past his boundaries anyway.
It was his animalistic instincts that got him into the Army,
Not his intellect.
Kit Carson was not an educated man,
But he loved poetry.
Especially The Lady of the Lake.
Growing up, I adored him.
He pastoralized the West for me-
A fairytale man living in a not-so-fairytale land,
Yet making it sound like something from a romance novel.
Like a true knight.
But, like a true knight,
Kit Carson had gaps in his armor.
He was not perfect,
He was not insuperable,
And that's why he inspires me.
I have my own fatal flaws that hold me down.
But if Kit Carson can rise to the rank of colonel
Within seven months of joining the Army,
I feel like I can rise to the challenge
And lead my own life without fear.
Which is why I have adopted his name
As my own.