First Contact

We crossed the sea on wooden ships With dreams of gold and endless trips We came ashore with wary eyes The land was rich but full of sighs They stood there with their faces stern We couldn't speak their calls we learned Mistrust grew in the humid air Their eyes were sharp their stares laid bare Life and hope and shadowed dread We bled and wept we feared we fled First contact made but sickness near A new world's touch a place of cheer Harvest low and hunger high Seasons changed we asked them why Their silence screamed our fate we guessed Survival came through nature's test We brought them gifts they prayed for peace But sickness spread and would not cease The harvest failed the water dried Many perished many cried Life and hope and shadowed dread We bled and wept we feared we fled First contact made but sickness near A new world's touch a place of cheer