We Who Laugh Last, Laugh Best

That foolish stranger who had wandered into town
bickering with folks, trying to shove them around
was nothing more than an old worn-out clown.
Beneath Soup Creek Bridge, we saw him drown.

We thought he'd learned a lesson and ran away,
but fate did him in for being such a mean hombre'
Sooner or later the devil always demands his pay.
The foolish stranger couldn't escape his doomsday.

He thought he'd left Soup Creek with a parting gift
that would make some angry, leaving others miffed
but it triggered laughter, which gave the town a lift,
knowing that hombre's ghost has been set adrift.

Foolishly, he tried to dance in the streets of Soup Creek
expecting those he'd injured to turn the other cheek.
With no help from the Beautiful People, once his clique,
the stranger with a mean streak was cowardly and weak

There's a moral to all stories, and this one is no exception
"Treat people like dirt and don't expect a warm reception."
The measure of a man isn't found in lies and deception
That was the stranger's concept, a gross misconception.

No peace to be found in death for one who doesn't behave.
Thanks to Sheriff Koplin, Gambler Milt, and Ranger Dave,
the ladies and the posse who pointed guns at the knave.
Undertaker Tom, time to put that dead stranger in a grave.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2022



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Date: 6/8/2022 4:15:00 PM
why a problem? if a poem is not your forte simply move on....nice walk Jenna and a lot of horse sense in those lines
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Jenna Logan
Date: 6/8/2022 4:27:00 PM
Long story with a history. Some like to find fault for the heck of it. Thanks for you comments,Timothy.
Date: 6/5/2022 3:58:00 PM
Very nice job Jenna. It's great stuff. Congratulations! Howard Schultz
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Jenna Logan
Date: 6/8/2022 4:25:00 PM
I thank you, Howard.
Date: 5/25/2022 3:49:00 PM
I hope trolls and bullies will take note of your words and head on out of 'Soup Creek'. Blessed are the peacemakers.
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Jenna Logan
Date: 5/27/2022 4:11:00 PM
I doubt it, John. Mark had one his poems harassed this morning by one of the pack griping at him.
Date: 5/25/2022 11:46:00 AM
WoW! Jenna, You’ve penned a well-executed Elegy. The way you all (Tom and Milt)have taken “ this” situation and turned it into a poem was brilliant. I hope the bullies, haters, and rift raft say away from Soup Creek. If they decide to come and cause trouble, they’ll get the boot. Well done-Alexis
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Jenna Logan
Date: 5/27/2022 4:10:00 PM
I doubt they'll stay away, Alexis. We can only keep trying to boot em! Thanks.
Date: 5/25/2022 10:04:00 AM
I love this abbreviated monorhyme in stanzas! Very well executed!
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Jenna Logan
Date: 5/25/2022 10:06:00 AM
Thank you, Caren. I'm glad you live among us in Soup Creek.
Date: 5/23/2022 4:20:00 PM
Don’t forget, there’s a new sheriff in town
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Jenna Logan
Date: 5/23/2022 4:37:00 PM
Impossible to forget that, Sheriff!!
Date: 5/23/2022 2:00:00 PM
fab elegy and I love the rhyme Jenna, I hope the coffin is nailed down good and proper as I recall another poet rising from the dead on numerous occasions! hugs Jan xx
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Jenna Logan
Date: 5/23/2022 3:39:00 PM
If there's a chance he'll reemerge, we'll know. I, too, remember the other nemesis. Thanks, Jan.
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Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/23/2022 2:06:00 PM
Don't worry Jan I only use barbed nails lol
Date: 5/23/2022 11:40:00 AM
Coffin nail indeed! Aloha!
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Jenna Logan
Date: 5/23/2022 12:18:00 PM
Thanks a bunch, Rico.
Date: 5/23/2022 9:15:00 AM
Why mam he was so crooked, he could swallow nails and spit out corkscrews. Another fun one Jenna, you played a blinder, I think the message is clear! I’m sure Tom will be happy, his business is looking up, cheers David
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Jenna Logan
Date: 5/23/2022 12:17:00 PM
Why, thank you, Mr. Ranger. I'm glad you're staying in town to help with those who like to raise a ruckus!
Date: 5/23/2022 8:33:00 AM
(chuckling) This is so good, Jenna. A fine follow-up to Tom's story. You've outdone yourself, I believe, and I love seeing the interloper dispatched with humor! Thanks! A FAVE for me.
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Jenna Logan
Date: 5/23/2022 12:16:00 PM
Thank you very kindly, Milt. I appreciate your comments.
Date: 5/23/2022 7:59:00 AM
Holy smokes!!! That is brilliant!!! I absolutely love it Jenna. A fave for me! I thought I saw a coffin propped up outside the undertakers porch. Yee haw
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Jenna Logan
Date: 5/23/2022 8:01:00 AM
ha. Pretty sure ya did. Undertaker Tom has a keen eye for troublemakers comin' into town. Thanks a lot, Mark.
Date: 5/23/2022 7:50:00 AM
Lol this is brilliant, im digging as we speak, Oh I'll need measurements. Going into my FAVES and hope it gets POTD. Yee haw. Tom
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Jenna Logan
Date: 5/23/2022 8:32:00 AM
That will do quite nicely, and if it has holes or rot...that's fine. Ain't no body offerin' to pay for his burial.
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Tom Cunningham
Date: 5/23/2022 8:11:00 AM
I've got an ol' pine one out the back.
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Jenna Logan
Date: 5/23/2022 7:58:00 AM
Thank you, Tom. I enjoyed your Soup Creek tale and hoped you'd not mind my continuance for the rest of the story. POTD, now wouldn't that be a hoot considering I just had one removed. No matter, for it served its purpose and was laid to rest as an honored soldier. About those measurements... it shouldn't take a big box for one of such small worth.
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