Best Highwaymen Poems

Gasping
rasping
clasping
grasping
condemned man's last gasping, rasping breath,
hands on the noose clasping, grasping- death

(* Tyburn was the site of public hangings in London from the 12th century,
executing everyone from Highwaymen to Clergymen, at what is now Marble Arch)

For contest 'write me a Tyburn', sponsor Kim Rodrigues

24th january...

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II.
When the abbot came to the iron gate
he made no move to invite me in,
said,”I’ve seen fell creatures before this night,
you are a monster of death and of sin.”

I said to him,”Yes, that’s what I’ve become,
I was forced by a creature depraved,
didn’t choose to be...

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The Highwaymen softly play
Me And Bobby Magee
And for the next four hours 
Every single drink is free.
Order what you like friend
And stick it on the slate
Tonight we’re saying goodbye
To my best and oldest mate.

On the bar in isolation stands
The Absent Friend’s Drink,
At the end of...

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 Continued from Part 1

The orphans and widows lean into the breeze
watching horrified hangmen descend to their knees 
for the angel of mercy’s no longer inclined
to forgive vengeful  phantoms (oh Furies of night!) ,
          ...

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The Pirates
 
Pirates were around in the 16th century, they flew the 
Jolly Roger/Scull & Crossbones and would loot and pillage
Ships at sea, for their rich cargo and gold doubloons
Over the years they have moved to land in guises as
Highwaymen and bushrangers, outlaws that steal...

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LIFES’ ROAD HOGS


You’ll find them on the highways and all along life’s' byways 
And they refuse to see they’re the cause of all the problems 
They ride along the fast lane and make you feel the villain 
An In the end the good man feels...

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A life four score and five short years
Of tender hearts and happy tears
Memories of yesteryear he's crafted into song
Each album paved , a stepping stone
The craftsmanship shaped a happy home
The Wordsmiths scribed a worthy tome, the faithfulnsingbalonf

A Texas sta, a fuiding light
For those of us...

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cold wars
and silvery spoons
make me solemn
in the self-closing eyes

always priggish
as a desolate diver
I blindly follow
the northbound shoals

hoarse in the black iris
I'm a tipsy toad
howling in heaven
with frigid manners

resurrected again
in a parquet parlour
of colliding sighs

the highland highwaymen
set up bonfires
in instinctive phobia 
of the uninvited mirage

rural gravestones
salute...

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The pen is greater than the sword or so it’s often said.
A poet’s word still stirs the heart long after he is dead.
The "Elegy" of Thomas Gray can still provoke a thought.
And Campbell’s "Ullin’s Daughter" proves that anger gains you nought.

What of the tales of...

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Legend of Fosse Way

Riding hard under a moonlight high 
not a leaf rustling and it troubles my mind
In the distance there's music of the lyre and flute 
rippling over the moors
Serenading the stars  
The voice of a maiden
bleeds it's way through the thick darkness
Singing...

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Painting by the Florida Highwaymen
 


Take me home to where joy resides. I am most thankfuL
Here. My gifts bestowed by God are strewn like confettI  
Around me! The salty breeze is like a warm blankeT
Nurturing my soul as silver stars are draped each NighT.
Kaleidoscopes...

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I.
Korlan lived in the Kingdom of Bellteer,
in the capital city of Magoss,
working as a guard on the city walls,
even better, they stationed him up top.

Didn’t have to talk to those who came in,
just walked his route, kept a decent eye out,
if he saw anything out...

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" Shall I Ever Be Free"

Alas, my child you shan't!
Get used to a world of can't!
Our brains are fully scrubbed
Like kids in a foaming bath.
Rub-y-dee, rub-y-dee dub.


We've been 'brain-spanked' to
not ask any questions.
We don't dare question numbers!
Oh, no shush no!
Just be sure to have a...

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Dedicated to the little group of Fort  Pierce ,Florida artists who became known to 
the public as The Highwaymen for their indomitable spirit.

     Paint brush flashes a chill blue shine 
to slice along the horizon line
flip the fronds of palms...

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Etched across unyielding flesh
One red line
Crimson tears wept
Upon linen fresh

Flitting steel
Lay two red lines
Side by side
Odious reminders of hope denied

Chaotic confusion hidden behind
Penniless pronouns
He, she, him or her
Artless words held by Cruelty's Captor

Three red lines
Blood stained highwaymen
Pilfering the soul
Of life once gained

Those nearby witness
Miserly motility...

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