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Poetry: Inspired by books and movies

by T.C Leonard

"Saturday Afternoon Westerns"


He rode from the pages,
A hero from ages
When men carried guns at their side
Ruthless and cunning,
He hit the screen running,
His horse saddled up for the ride

From a book by L'Amour,
Through a saloon door,
They call him Shane, Destry, or Wyatt
Don't reach for your gun-
I'm tellin' ya son,
You'll be dead just as soon as ya try it!

With a "Ya, ha, ha"
He's fast on the drawl
And pilgrims have fallen a-plenty
The slow ones are dead
And riddled with lead,
And Wes Harden killed at least twenty

But when he ain't killin'
The big man is willin'
To buy a saloon girl a drink
And over a beer
He nibbles her ear-
Givin' himself time to think

His guns bring him money,
But it's not always sunny
When another fast man comes to town
He's too young to die,
So maybe he'll try-
Try to be settlin' down

What happens then
Comes from Zane Grey's pen:
Will the hero ride off or soon die?
Who gets the last shot
When gunfights are fought
And bullets are startin' to fly?

Well, yippie-ki-yay
It's the good guy today...
When it's over he lays down his gun
He buys a farm,
With a girl on his arm,
While riding off into the sun

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