I myself kind of find this hard to believe,
but Billy the Kid, aka William H Bonney,
this long dead figure of American history,
often helps me therapeutically.
Whenever I find myself super depressed,
I think about what Billy the Kid said,
shortly after he was sentenced to death.
Shackled Billy left the courthouse smiling, almost as if in glee.
"Why are you smiling?" a journalist asked him inquisitively.
The Kid responded nonchalantly,
"What's the point in dwelling on the dreary side of life?
Today the joke is on me."
After thinking about that for a spell, I'm as happy go lucky as he.
Thank you for the therapy Mr William H Bonney.
Categories:
bonney, depression, recovery from,
Form: Rhyme
"Hello Bob!" were the very last words
that Deputy Robert M Ollinger heard
just before he got blown away
by William H Bonney, during the Kid's greatest escape.
Categories:
bonney, history,
Form: Rhyme
It was a few days after the Kid's great escape,
when the following happened to Sherriff Pat Garrett's dismay.
A stranger rode in to the town of Lincoln,
with the same horse that the Kid stole for his escaping.
The stranger approached Garrett and said, "Excuse me partner,
Billy said that you would return this horse to it's rightful owner."
...just another example of the Kid's unique sense of humor.
*
"I had no intention of killing either one of them. My plan was to tie and gag Bell and get out of there before Ollinger got back, but then everything went wrong.
I certainly didn't want to kill Bell, but I had to in order to save my own life......I never felt happier than when I gave it to old Bob. I said, "Look up here old boy and see what you're getting," and blasted him in the face and breast. He used to ride me to the point until I couldn't take it anymore."
- William H Bonney, aka Billy the Kid
*
Billy the Kid's Great Escape
http://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/billy_the_kids_great_escape_467774
*
Categories:
bonney, history,
Form: Rhyme
He watched his mother, his mentor and three of his best friends
die right before his eyes.
His mother died of TB very slowly,
and when she slipped away he was there at her bedside.
John Tunstall, his mentor, employer and very close friend,
was riddled with bullets by a gang of corrupt lawmen,
right in front of him.
His pals Dick Brewer, Tom O'Folliard and Charlie Bowdre,
were all murdered in the presence of his company,
and yet despite all of the violence and all of his tragedy,
his outlook on life was always cheery.
Never dwelling in his dark past or present miserably,
always looking towards his future joyously living life fully.
How the hell did you do that William H Bonney?
I have suffered far less than he,
and yet I'm a miserable SOB who avoids everybody.
I wish I knew your secret William H Bonney.
As much as I admire you, I also sometimes feel envy.
Categories:
bonney, depression,
Form: Rhyme
"Hello Bob!" were the very last words,
that Deputy Robert M Ollinger heard,
just before he got blown away,
by William H Bonney, during the Kid's greatest escape.
Categories:
bonney, history,
Form: Rhyme
Escape Goats
Just good old' kids,
Never meaning any harm,
Been in trouble since they were born.
Straightening' the corners,
Flattening' the curbs and crushing pebbles.
Someday the hills might get them, but the law never will.
Making their way,
The only way they can,
Which is a little more than the law allows.
Just good old kids,
Couldn't change if they wanted to,
Fighting' the system like a modern Day Bonney and Clyde
Categories:
bonney, adventure, betrayal, bullying, courage,
Form: Free verse
Judge Bristol passed his sentence with the following words and said,
"The said William Bonney, alias Kid, alias William Antrim
shall be hanged by the neck until his body be dead, Dead, DEAD!!!"
Billy left the courthouse smiling, almost as if in glee.
"Why are you smiling?" an interviewer asked him inquisitivly.
"What's the point in dwelling on the dreary side of life all the time?" the Kid responded,
"Today the joke is on me."
A true tibute to The Kid's charm, humor and endearing personality.
The above is not legend. It's documented true history.
Categories:
bonney, funny, history,
Form: Rhyme