John Lindley
Cornered: Shoot-out at Charlie's, Osage Hills, Oklahoma
Elmer wasn't given to reflection
but holed up at Charlie's between the Candy River
and the Kansas Line
he thought about the wrong train
after months of thinking about the right one.
He thought about the conductor's watch
and the whiskey and then about the right train
with its riches untouched.
And he thought about explosives and another train
where he'd packed so much nitro
he'd seen his future melt before his eyes.
And he reflected on a splintery bank
going off like an alarm
and on his soldiering and mining for ore.
And now he was plumbing and schooling
and howling for milk
and all the time he was going back
there were men with guns and intent coming forward
beyond the barn's warm womb.
And Elmer liquored up,
grew up, stood up,
took the last, the very last hit,
from a bottle of rye
and went out to get killed.
but holed up at Charlie's between the Candy River
and the Kansas Line
he thought about the wrong train
after months of thinking about the right one.
He thought about the conductor's watch
and the whiskey and then about the right train
with its riches untouched.
And he thought about explosives and another train
where he'd packed so much nitro
he'd seen his future melt before his eyes.
And he reflected on a splintery bank
going off like an alarm
and on his soldiering and mining for ore.
And now he was plumbing and schooling
and howling for milk
and all the time he was going back
there were men with guns and intent coming forward
beyond the barn's warm womb.
And Elmer liquored up,
grew up, stood up,
took the last, the very last hit,
from a bottle of rye
and went out to get killed.
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- Rialto, The
- Second Aeon
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- Shearsman
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- Tabla Book of New Verse, The
- Thumbscrew
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- Ugly Tree, The
- Weyfarers
- Wolf, The
- Yellow Crane, The