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Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man
When he heard the Clantons
and McLaury's were riding
into town with his carcass in
their cross-hairs, well,
his courage did not fail
him nor his reason come
undone. He did not run
into the street with blazing
guns aimed at the boarding house,
did not plug the bar-keep,
put a bullet through the dimpled
knee of any dance-hall girl
or graze the knuckles of
the player, nick the ivories while
wheeling round to fire on
the schoolmarm for good measure.
Wyatt Earp was a law man.
Lord knows what this costumed crowd
was playing at. Not the law
and not a man among them.
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Feb/17/2013, 5:52 pm
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Re: Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man
C---
could you be lampooning our LAPD cops?
shooting two vietnamese ladies?
my take.
as opposed to a comment on Wyatt.
When he heard the Clantons
and McLaury's were riding
into town
He did not run
with blazing
guns aimed at the boarding house,
did not plug the bar-keep,
put a bullet through the dimpled
knee of any dance-hall girl,
nick the ivories while
wheeling round to fire on
the schoolmarm for good measure.
Wyatt Earp was a law man.
Lord knows what this costumed crowd
was playing at. Not the law
and not a man among them.
to me, a little cleaner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HrY2Ynn4Jo
bernie
Last edited by Bernie01, Feb/17/2013, 6:32 pm
--- Fall
Bob Grenier: the leaves / falling / out of the / water by the / table
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Feb/17/2013, 6:25 pm
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Re: Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man
Christine,
This draws me in right away.
I suggest leaving out this:
"well,
his courage did not fail
him nor his reason come
undone. "
I think the courage is a given.
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Feb/17/2013, 9:08 pm
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Re: Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man
hi ineese and bernie,
thanks for the comments,
Chris
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Feb/18/2013, 1:44 am
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Re: Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man
Bernie,
They weren't Vietnamese. "Attorney Glen Jonas said Maggie Carranza, 47, and her mother, 71-year-old Emma Hernandez, were delivering Los Angeles Times newspapers around 5:15 a.m. in Torrance when the officers opened fire on their vehicle."
Otherwise, an interesting take on it. I wouldn't have seen the connection. I'm still considering my response.
However, I disagree with the content of the poem, if not with the poetry of the poem. My reading of Wyatt Earp is that he was a criminal/lawmen, depending on the circumstances, which apparently was not unusual at that time. Not sure of how unusual it is in our own times with specific lawmen or jurisdictions. Thanks, Zak
quote: Bernie01 wrote:
C---
could you be lampooning our LAPD cops?
shooting two vietnamese ladies?
my take.
as opposed to a comment on Wyatt.
When he heard the Clantons
and McLaury's were riding
into town
He did not run
with blazing
guns aimed at the boarding house,
did not plug the bar-keep,
put a bullet through the dimpled
knee of any dance-hall girl,
nick the ivories while
wheeling round to fire on
the schoolmarm for good measure.
Wyatt Earp was a law man.
Lord knows what this costumed crowd
was playing at. Not the law
and not a man among them.
to me, a little cleaner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HrY2Ynn4Jo
bernie
Last edited by Zakzzz5, Feb/18/2013, 10:22 am
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Feb/18/2013, 10:19 am
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Re: Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man
hi zak,
I was just thinking about you this morning and wondering where you were.
You're right about Wyatt Earp who was involved in a few dicey deals as I recall. I was thinking of the iconic Earp(as played by Keven Costner, drinking black coffee in the saloon right before the big showdown.)
Anyway, it's good to see you and thanks for the post,
Chris
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Feb/18/2013, 1:14 pm
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Re: Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man
to me this reads like a western ballad & should have a longer tale to tell like Joey sung by bob dylan!
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Feb/19/2013, 1:23 am
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Re: Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man
thanks queen,
I'm not familiar with that Dylan song but now I'm gonna hafta chase it down,
Chris
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Feb/19/2013, 2:02 pm
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Re: Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man
Hi Chris,
My first thought was that the poem was about the LA police accidently shooting civilians while they were attempting to stop some criminals, but I didn't know the specifics. I read it that way because a story about innocent bystanders being shot by trained professionals had been in the news lately (after the Newtown shootings and during the debate over new gun laws). I am not familiar with the real Wyatt Earp, so the poem worked well for me, and I wanted to suggest you submit it to the New Verse News.
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Feb/21/2013, 10:25 pm
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Re: Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man
Good stuff, Chris. Reads easily. I too should have enjoyed a bit more ballading, so to speak. In fact, the Okay Corral scene would make for a nice denouement and perhaps carry the poem's moral without effort or strain.
Tere
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Feb/23/2013, 4:34 pm
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Re: Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man
Thanks tere. This was meant to be longer, more
...nuanced. But hey, when you start with "Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man," well where do you go from there? really. OK, maybe to the OK Corral,
thanks again,
Chris
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Feb/23/2013, 5:02 pm
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Re: Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man
This is awesome. Very tight. I like the way it sounds, too. I guess, for me, that is part of its being tight. No nit picks. It's a keeper.
vkp
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Mar/2/2013, 3:44 pm
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Re: Wyatt Earp Was a Law Man
thanks,v, glad you like it,
Chris
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Mar/3/2013, 8:22 am
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