Ticonderoga

The land between the waters in
Iroquoian is Ticonderoga,
And the land indeed separates
One lake from the other, Champlain
And George, like a referee does boxers.

Fur trapping was the game du jour
Wherein the Dutch and the French spared while
The Iroquois played the middle
Something
Something

Until the last Anglo-Dutch War
Handed New Amsterdam to the British.

A fight ensued, Great Britain won,
And I approve, even if France and its
Coureur des bois – Ville Marie’s tough
Independent-minded trappers
Brimming élan – I respect and admire.

Yet, the reigning champion’s trainee
Soon challenged the Crown and claimed the title –
The upstart’s corner Yankee-led,
Making their bout a pitched rematch
‘Tween old rivals, Royalist and Roundhead.

The French gave Adirondack streams,
Such as the Bouquet and the Ausable,
Distinctions that aurally ring,
Which no English appellation
Received or given ever could equal.

The Iroquois in the middle,

Resembling Ticonderoga:

The land between two waters.