Three Bad Guns

a 3 minute western

Arizona sun bakes hard the dust

While three bad guns create a fuss

People hide running scared

For in this sleepy place their kind is rare

Word travels fast down the street

Three bad guns are here for me.

I pin my star, tie down cast iron

To pull their teeth and send them ride'n

Their game of fun ends in death,

I spy the sheriff lying dead,

They play for blood,

 not for jest,

 I meet their terms,

their middleman now dead

A tumble weed tumbles by,

The remaining two run to hide

They curse my name and threaten me

 I take aim, and again they lose one  from the  three.

One man left he's a fast outlaw

He claims the street 

so we can draw

With three long strides 

I match his stance

Two .44s rip from leather

but my hand  just a little faster

Now outlaws three 

all lay dead

And on more time

I must bury 

my 

past.

Reviews

[Crowley]

I love this. The dust, the heat, the climax. A western of any length is usually good for me, but this 3 minute one is a stroke of genius. Yeah baby!!!!

[Cherrie Palmer]

Thank you, I love when I can see a full event in a handful of words, and westerns were one of the first books I started to read. That and Agatha.

[CD Campbell]

That's a pretty good telling of the wild west in its prime. Much enjoyed. Tip my hat to ya.

[Cherrie Palmer]

Thank you, I like a good western as well.

[Dave Brown]

I really enjoy the old western theme which this captures very nicely
Howdee to yuh

[Cherrie Palmer]

Sometimes I just like a good old fashion gun fight

[Robert Trakofler]

well pilgrim they got what was coming to them... life can be tough but its a heck of a lot tougher if your stupid! Nice write little lady... Say, how did i end up in this picture?

[Robert Trakofler]

love the changes but for the flow and rhyme...
but my fast hand a little bit better. ?

[Robert Trakofler]

thats Gary Cooper right?

[Cherrie Palmer]

Originally I liked the break in the cadence, but I think better is better.
Also I think that is Garry Copper

[gram linski]

Great two minute Western, Clint Eastwood would be proud,

[Cherrie Palmer]

Thank ya :)

[DAH]

A fine display of "fast at the draw".

Nicely played, love the detail
"Two .44s rip from leather"

And the ending is top shelf.

Bravo!

[Cherrie Palmer]

Thank you, I always like doing these.

[Ted Kniffen]

Zane Grey...Elmore Leonard...masters of the western, which I have always favoured. Your story sparked a scene from Once Upon a Time in the West when Charles Bronson faced down 3 gunmen and uttered the famous line..."you brought one horse too many"

Thanks for taking me back to dust and sagebrush. Much appreciated.

[Cherrie Palmer]

That is one of my favorite lines ever, and I have a long list.
It's that moment when the villains realize they may have over played their hand .
Great moment

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Cherrie.. it seems that in present times,
we are living the scenes in this poem.
Being afraid is an every day phenomenon.
A well penned warning that we need to cast votes
that make a difference in how we approach "the
right to bear arms". truly, Pat

[Cherrie Palmer]

Coming from a military / law enforcement background, I'm more of a conceal carry kinda gal.
read moreComing from a military / law enforcement background, I'm more of a conceal carry kinda gal.


The funny thing about bad people is they never play by the rules.

[John the Baptist]

Sounds like what might have been running through Gary Cooper's head in High Noon.

[Cherrie Palmer]

Love that show, and that's a good match for this.

[bigfootprint]

A very entertaining read, Cherrie. You take us back to a time when a lawman had to settle the tension quickly or somebody died -- shooters or a hanging mob. I was taught there were only a very few such confrontations in the Old West. Walk 10 paces draw-and-fire duels were rare. Frontier honor was what the sheriff got if he survived, with no questions asked. The bad guy often shot from hiding -- as did the sheriff sometimes. Unlike movie shootouts, survival often meant who shot first -- running and shouting with guns blazing. Lots of good men lost their lives that way. Keep up the good work.