Long Rotgut Poems

The rage builds from within, and the rain follows.

A celebration, for one friend, of a new age, a new day - 
from whence the trouble came, I'm all too afraid I know.
Despite what some of...

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Armadilly Billy the Sling Shot Kidster was steadily on the move.
He was leaving the Southwest and his reputation behind, for sure!
Every gunslinger was out for him and of killing he’d become tired.
Even the weather was...

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They sea me without.


I carry a raven upon my shoulder,
A sundial on my back.
The hat I wear is made of ash;
Sunlight is what I lack.


I drag my feet behind me on sandy beaches.
The ball and...

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I was heading to the bunkhouse, after a wild night on the town
dancing & romancing & one too many round
Back in my wild & woolly days, one more rowdy Saturday night
full of cheap beer &...

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A June Night in Rotgut Saloon


In walked Lefty Red behind him lay many dead
into this old dusty town his tired horse had tread
Well known his draw was quick as lightning 
his stare deadly cold and...

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A coyote pack was howling as the sun crowned
Zack Waverly was weary, he'd travelled around
Zack takes up the narrative, better I found.

High noon, I rode the bay into Rotgut town
With fixed intention, I weren't playing...

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Sweat sticky between
eyebrows, deuces
wild 
Like his eyes, those
lonesome dove eyes 
Prairie eyes, ice
cool despite the
rising heat 
Choking heat,
boiling on a frying
pan 
Round and round
those tables, red
and black 
Elbows and anger,
shiny greasy metal, 
Gin bellows and...

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“Go west young man”, the neighbors said; but they wisely stayed at home.
From pianoforte to pianoforte, saloon to saloon, town to town I roam.
Surrounded by Phillistines, “soiled doves”, cowpokes, and dullards,
Gamblers, dealers, dance hall girls,...

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I'm standing here in limbo as 

I see him wander in.

That no townsman has warned him

is truly a mortal sin.

 

He slides up to the bar and 

takes a curious look around.

He orders a shot...

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I've dragged this here bag of gold
it seems a thousand miles,
no rain, no water, no food to eat,
just stagnant pools that look like bile
and a few odd berries . . .

Saw a sign a few...

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The hinges of the swing doors creak as Zack Waverley enters the Rotgut bar
He stands in the doorway his huge frame blocking out the daylight
‘Hey Zack’ I cry ‘Is that a pistol in your pocket...

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The town of Rotgut, clung to me
the smell, ridden deep into my lungs
the vomit of decay like a coat
that clung and wrapped around my shoulders

I could feel the bitter taste of lies
truth be told, I...

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Just sittin alone at my barstool
yes, darling, I'm feelin real fine
and I confess, I admire your dress
yet I have to withhold the next line.

Cause there ain't many days till my breakdown
this darkness is comin on...

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The day seemed no different 
From the ones that pasted before
Heat, dust and wind
Made living here a chore 
We haven't had a drop of rain
For as long as I remember
It seems to me 12 years...

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They say he had three Mothers
The Earth, the Wind, and Water
And His father was the Sun
And the Moon was his daughter 
He wore a gun in his belt
With clothing made from hide
As He walked, He...

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I'm stuck in the town of "Rotgut",
not far from San Antone!
I work in the "Silver Dollar",
a saloon, that's quite well known!

I'm what's known as the bar-keep,
I can't remember for how long?
It could be more than...

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The road into Rotgut looked like every road,
in every town I've seen, dusty
I've traveled through so many towns
and this town is no different
I'm tired, just looking for the saloon
and a guy, a drifter, name of...

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ROTGUT

The whiskey was bad
the burn and warmth of it
was, if not good, welcome.

Hard day, but aren’t they all,
Hard ground, hard work, hard head,
Hard luck, hard times.

The whiskey would fix that,
ease the edges of the hardness,
deaden,...

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A single soldier stayed
To guard against the animal
From digging up the grave
He felt awful for the Injuns
Disgusted by their plight
So from his bag he took a chalk
And upon a stone, did write

These Injuns lie beneath...

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Red balloons with clowns attached
Lock your doors 
Keep the windows latched
So many people
Knocking at the door
One, two, three, four, 
Ten or twelve or maybe more
Disembodied voices
Screaming in my head
I found their bodies sleeping
Underneath my bed
Which...

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The evening turned to morning 
As I awoke from my slumber
The fire in the hearth
Now, just a glowing ember
I didn't stop for coffee
As I headed for the door 
And there, I stared in disbelief 
As...

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as I sit in the dingy saloon. Dehydrated and week.journey so long,I hardly feel 
my feet.town name, town name, plays over in my head.the name rot and gut is 
playing over instead. my insides are...

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I asked Him, what he wanted
To save the people of this town
But he only shook his head
As he looked back at the mound
"I seek no Gold or Silver
No payment from your hand
I know it's hard...

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Years ago, this saloon was too boring
and all you saw was cowboys drinking;
no music to take away their blues,
no wonder they all seemed to lose!


I got this low-paying job in Nashville,Tennessee,
a close friend read an...

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Then the man without a name
Approached me, from the crowd
He looked me in the eye
And I heard his say out loud
That what happened there that day
The spirits of the mound
Have finally found a way
To recapture...

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