My Town, My Rules... Poem by Denis Martindale

The cowboys wore guns as was their legal right, but the Sheriff was determined to make his town as safe as possible, regardless of those who disagreed with him. Nobody got into town without handing over whatever guns they wore or tried to hide. The under-the-hat trick didn't last long. The Sheriff even wanted the men to sign peace-keeping promise forms. Those who agreed quickly were as suspicious as those who didn't, but who finally agreed. All seemed to be going well, until one cowboy vowed he would kill the Sheriff if he tried to take his guns from him. So the Sheriff challenged him to a public gunfight. The cowboy wasn't too keen, but he still agreed to it. So the two men faced each other in the main street. Some of the folks bet on the Sheriff, some on the new guy. The sad thing is that both men died... and it could have been so easily avoided. But you know what men are...


Denis Martindale July 2019.