Open Poetry #8 |
Old Cop. . . . . . . .#2 |
Fred Hobbs Member
since 1999-06-08
Posts 329Tallahassee, Florida, US |
OLD COP It’s 3:00 A.M., my thirteenth call A place called Crazy Joe’s Pool Hall A fight, a knife, a man is down It happens in this part of town My backup’s comin’ from the jail Was bookin’ in a drunk female And me, I’m riding all alone When I arrive I’m on my own I’m fairly close, about a mile If I was smart I’d stall awhile But as I always do with fights I come in quiet - cut the lights A crowd is huddled round the door Near all of them I’ve popped before Ain’t one of them cares much for me Most hopin’ I’ll go down, you see I open up the door a crack Some wanted guys run out the back I see the young dude lying there With blood just pourin’ from his hair I kneel beside him –find he’s dead Just then a pool cue cracked my head Fell in the blood to my alarm The second blow breaks my left arm The pool hall turns from red to black I struggle to get off my back The jukebox stopped, can’t hear a word Can’t count ‘em all, my vision’s blurred I manage to get on my knees I try to focus – then I freeze I see now that there’s only one The problem is he’s got my gun He shoves the gun inside his belt Then grabs the cue with which he dealt The blows that brought me to the ground And swings again, a swooshing sound He misses and I’m on my feet I’m backing up, the wall I meet He’s pointing at me with a grin My arm bone’s stickin’ through the skin He’s reckless now - he comes too near So big and drunk he has no fear The years have slowed my uppercut The first one catches in his gut There’s vomit drippin’ from his chin He comes for me, I swing again This time I feel him lift a bit My shoulder’s wet with bloody spit I kick his knee and hear it snap He crumbles, reaches for his lap But I reach too, this time I won I manage to retrieve my gun He dares me shoot and tries to stand I say I will and call his hand I guess he sees it in my eyes And knows I’ll kill him if he tries I put my back against the wall And hear my backup’s siren call A minute and he’s through the door By then we both are on the floor The judge he gives him eighty years The dude looks back at me and sneers “I’ll kill you cop, when I get out I’ll hunt you down, you have no doubt.” I tell him, “Son, I’ll try to wait But I don’t think that it’s my fate When you get out - to be alive I’ve been a cop since sixty-five” |
||
© Copyright 2000 Fred Hobbs - All Rights Reserved | |||
Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
Oh, Fred! I love this one you know! SO glad you could join us..and doubly glad to be able to cast my vote for this poem! |
||
Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
Wouldn't be a Passions book without you, Fred! |
||
Rupert Evans II Junior Member
since 2000-07-03
Posts 13 |
Loved the poem. It was so descriptive it felt like you were right there goign through it all, feeling the crack on your head and the bone sticking through you skin. Keep up the good work and you will go far. |
||
Fred Hobbs Member
since 1999-06-08
Posts 329Tallahassee, Florida, US |
Balladeer, PdV Thanks! Good hearing from you guys again . . . |
||
doreen peri Member Elite
since 1999-05-25
Posts 3812Virginia |
damn! you sure can tell a story! Good to see you here, fred.... and this one is so totally bookworthy... (is that a word??? hehe)... i can't wait to read it again on a printed page -doreen "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx |
||
Mike Member Elite
since 1999-06-19
Posts 2462 |
Well written. Excellent tale. add one more vote. |
||
WhtDove Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-22
Posts 9245Illinois |
This was awesome! The way you've told this could send chills down the spine! I love the ending I do! Awesomely told story! |
||
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
you write with a voice that knows...I like that alot...I vote too...this is awesome.. |
||
MagnoliaBlue Member
since 2000-05-12
Posts 367 |
Wow, What an awesome read! Gets my vote. Wonderful writing! MagnoliaBlue ~My Skipper Jim I love you! Your Lady June~ |
||
Meadowmuse Member Elite
since 1999-12-27
Posts 3263 |
A fine storyteller you are, Fred...this is gripping. ~ Claire Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?......Henry David Thoreau |
||
Marina Member Elite
since 2000-02-10
Posts 2245Pickering, Ontario |
This one sounded all too fimiliar to me. My Dad was a policeman for 27 years in downtown Toronto. So many stories! Well written. Marina It is a blessing to have wings for words, and passion in pen Marina Crossley |
||
Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
A darn good storyteller! Count me in! |
||
Fred Hobbs Member
since 1999-06-08
Posts 329Tallahassee, Florida, US |
Thanks to all who responded. Your comments are greatly appreciated and especially so given the level of talent here. Thanks again. fh |
||
Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
Me too - me too.... voting here... |
||
Marge Tindal
since 1999-11-06
Posts 42384Florida's Foreverly Shores |
Fred~ A wonderful read. Totally captivating. ~*Marge*~ ~*The pen of the poet never runs out of ink, as long as we breathe.*~ [email protected] |
||
Bustem57 Member
since 2000-06-09
Posts 98 |
All to familiar scene. I am a police officer and many times I have went into a bar just how you have described it. Well done!! |
||
~Enigma~ Junior Member
since 2000-07-03
Posts 44St Cloud, MN |
WOWSERS!!! |
||
Eloise Senior Member
since 1999-11-27
Posts 1096Wyoming |
What a great story, Fred. A wonderful read. It has my vote. |
||
Seymour Tabin Member Empyrean
since 1999-07-07
Posts 31720Tamarac Fla |
Fred, Nice to have you back, missed your wonderful stuff. |
||
Butterflies_dont_cry Member Elite
since 2000-03-06
Posts 3733Michigan |
Sensational Work!!! |
||
kat Member
since 2000-05-20
Posts 387 |
I was glued to this from beginning to end. So descriptive and well written. This definately belongs in the book. I was glad it ended the way it did. kat |
||
X Angel Senior Member
since 1999-11-07
Posts 1521Oregon |
Incredible story Fred! WOW! ~Heather |
||
⇧ top of page ⇧ | ||
All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format. |