A Rattling Rhyme

In a cow town filled up with red sand and bold lies Stands a man from old Texas with stories of size The one yarn of them all that he tells as a fact Does concern a young feller of talent and tact 'Twas a night filled with boredom that supplied the test As he gathered his wits to think what he knew best Well, for water so sweet he favored a wind mill Then by mornin' he had built a corn crackin' still A sweet smell in the air marked the town's fateful day As the doors came ajar to see who cooked this way The cups rattled and rang as lines formed for a sip Then each man came alive as his turn passed his lip The young feller just smiled and his smile was returned As cowboys and tradesmen shed a tear as throats burned Was a day maybe two talkin' tall drinkin' brew When the first, not the last,fight broke out - nothin' new Then a fire started quick in the frames and the brick While the town was ablaze and the men drunk and sick The young feller smelled trouble and mounted his horse Left the still and the crowd and the fire in full force Who he was where he is who can tell to this day But the still and the fire shaped the town in this way It is dry, it is meek and the women folk speak Of the corn that was cracked and made strong men so weak 7-31-18 For Nina Parmenter's poetry contest A Rattling Rhyme