The Poetry Marathon

 The sheriff stared looking at the condemned man.

 He stared back at the sheriff, his cold eyes gazing through him, chilling his blood.

    I can’t till she gets here. he coldly replied to the sheriff.

    Till who gets here?

    Just have to wait and see

   Well we don’t have time to wait, let’s get on with it

The black hidden executioner slipped the noose over his neck

and positioned himself by the trapdoor lever

With a nod from the sheriff, the lever was pulled

and the condemned plummeted to the ground,

with a loud snap the rope broke, and the man stood up and gazed up at the sheriff.

     What now?   The condemned man said

 The sheriff drew his pistol, three shots rang out,

none of them finding their home.

Befuddled the sheriff fired three more, to no avail.

    Don’t just stand there, lock him up!  the sheriff shouted to his deputies,

who ushered him back into the jail.

That night there was a knock on the jail door, a woman was there,

dressed in black wanting to speak to the prisoner.

The deputy showed her out soon after.

     Well I guess we’ll try again tomorrow The deputy sighed

When he checked, the prisoner was dead.

The glass shatters

As he fell through the night

The world fell away

As he tumbled for his life

The pinpoints of light

From far away stars

Looked so beautiful

As he plummeted

To the ground

Those dark clouds are passing now

The sun shines on your face

Your eyes see right through me

I never could escape

Those who condemn our love

Where are they now?

I’m only concerned about

Our wedding vows, where I said

I promised to cherish you

In sickness and in health

How I would forsake all others

And love only you

For richer or poorer

For better or for worse

Till the day death do us part

Those are my vows to you

My sweet lady Jane

The years pass by way too fast

It seemed like yesterday

That I noticed you

Sitting across the way

In that glimmering instant

I knew I could not last

Another minute without you

I just couldn’t pass, then we said

I’ll love you forever

Forever and ever amen

We wouldn’t have to ever

Be alone again

I’ll be your sugar

And you’ll be my babe

And though dark clouds may form

We can fight them away

My sweet lady Jane

Two hearts become one

In a beautiful way

I will honor and cherish you

Starting today

You’ll never feel unwanted

I’ll never run away

Too much is never enough

When you talking about

My sweet lady Jane

Dear Abigail, how I love and miss you so

The strong winds blow and chill our bones

We find ourselves trying not to freeze in the valley down below

Trying to forge a new history one we can call our own

Some men are faced with frailty and cannot bear the pain

Others just stare at nothing and fail to be with us today

But others still blaze fortunes and bleed red upon the snow

For in their bravery we still find the truth we all have known

The battles strong and fierce, I pray for deliverance today

But I know I am one of the only, that can persevere through the pain

We fight for a new nation, conceived  in liberty

How I hope I can see it, with you standing near to me.

Thrashing, in a moment thrust awake

A scream pierces the air, the child awakes

Something is amiss, the screams fail to cease

You hold, you comfort, you coddle

But nothing brings them peace

You start to fear the worst, as they begin to wheeze

The child starts to panic, stricken looks fill their eyes

This child is in danger and we must find a cure tonight

With a sudden burst of speed you rush out the door

Down the road you fly, just warding off the horror

The hospital looms before you

In a panic you screech to a halt

Child in hand you rush in

Crying for someone to help

The nurses fall upon you, looking at the babe

Soon upon a table your weakened child now lays

The worst you think is over, surely I’ts OK

But soon the doctor walks in and you know just by his face

Your heart tears in two, as you fall upon the floor

How could this nightmare happen

How could my child be no more

The night descends upon me

As I must continue on

Though shadows now assail me

I must arrive by dawn

The failures of a lifetime

Confront me on my way

With rein in hand I push on

Single minded I shall remain

Until my tasks are done

I cannot stop nor sleep

With miles ahead before me

My word I now must keep.

Sometimes i feel like a leaf, being blown through the wind

Sometimes I feel like I can’t change the flow of my life

I feel like I can’t change my pace in this world that I face

But somehow I’ve got to know what i need to change

I’ve the high and lows and all those red letter days

All the good and bad and otherwise a man could face

Times they have been rough, somehow they have made me tough

And I think i now know what i need to change

And now i can reach the pinnacle of my life

A golden fists silently fits

Inside the velvet glove

Covered complete

The violence reaped

Unintentionally it goes on

I can’t escape

My terrible fate

Why didn’t I just flee

Although I regret

The stage is set

Until the curtain falls on me

The fire burned low

And a chill found my bones

As in the desolation of the moment I waited

The wind outside howled

And the rain began to pound

But still I sat with my eyes fixed on the door

The candles flickered

And the shutters clapped

But i knew inside he would always be back

My heart raced

As my lungs kept pace

In a delirium I almost succumb

With a loud creak

enough to peep

He beckoned me off this mortal coil

Running from your strife

Consumes your very life

There’s no end in sight

Weak and on your knees

Your life of agony

No solace you can see

He’s coming faster now

You really don’t know how

He’s always on your tail

He hunts you every night

He’s never out of sight

He’s just out of reach

And he’s coming

Lawman he is a gunning

All your time is a running

Can’t you see

Won’t quit till your swinging

From that tree