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Open Poetry #14
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He Cheats
| Open Poetry #14 |
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He Cheats |
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John Yaws Senior Member
since 1999-10-09
Posts 860Texas 
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Our future looked so rosy- Me so recent out of school. Degree in dental surgery, An office, and my tools. A girl who fairly worshipped me, The future looked secure, Except for bouts of pleurisy, I could not seem to cure. I called upon a doctor- Well know around the town... A friend of mine to boot, you see, He would not let me down. He said, John, you have consumption- And a fatal case, I fear. If you go west, get lots of rest, You maybe have a year. The shock I kept well hidden, As I strove to make a jest- That night I told my darling- That I would be headed West. I could not bring myself to say- How serious things were- I left her with a forlorn hope, And bade goodbye to her. The coughing spoiled my practice, I blamed them not a bit- All that I knew was playing cards, I made the best of it. I gained a bit of infamy, For knife and pistol play... You may have heard my sobriquet, I’m called Doc Holliday. To cough away one’s life each day, Begets a morbid mood. I will not be manhandled, By ruffians, and rude. I made the Western circuit- Death’s spectre followed hard- He waited in each alley- With the turn of every card. I died of natural causes- Beneath hospital sheets... Don’t take hands in the Devil’s game, For friends, I know he cheats. |
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| © Copyright 2001 John R. Yaws - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Mother_Earth Senior Member
since 2000-11-20
Posts 13701/2 year Texas & 1/2 year Michigan |
Gunslinger, a bit of history done up in a big ribbon as a gift. Great! ME |
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