The Wild Cowboy Johnny Joe Poem by Adam Pergande

Far across the desert sand
There lived a brave and fearless man.
Wanted dead and hunted foe.
The wild cowboy Johnny Joe.

Now Johnny Joe was on the run.
For shooting dead the sheriff’s son.
This child’s death a big mistake.
A life he never meant to take.

It happened at the grey town fete.
When Johnny hid inside a Crate.
He carved a chink to aim his shot
And gazed upon the outside lot.

At last, the sheriff in his sight.
His badge was gleaming in the light.
An just as Johnny took his aim.
His clumsy son stood in the way.

Johnny slipped. the trigger slid
And blew a hole in sheriff’s kid
He cursed himself and shook his fist.
For up till now, he’d never missed.

A cry of horror came from Sheriff
Witnessing his poor son’s perish.
Johnny scarped from his crate.
And ran like lightning from the fete.

But Sherriff saw him as he ran.
And loudly bellowed “STOP THAT MAN! ”
The townsfolk screamed and cowboys rode,
Firing bullets by the load.

But Johnny jumped a horse nearby.
And held his weapon to the sky.
He taunted as his chasers came.
Shouting out his hunted name!

When the men came into sight.
The crafty cowboy took his flight.
The hunting band was far too slow
And soon lost chase of Johnny Joe

The coming week was filled with hate.
and Sherriff vowed to seal Joe’s fate.
Posters hung across the town.
“FIND JOHNNY JOE AND TAKE HIM DOWN! ”

Johnny rode his tired horse
His eyes was cold, His skin was coarse.
The will to live was strong inside
Struggling on this weary ride.

Another sun had come to rise
The sleepless tears from Johnny’s eyes.
The scorching heat stole all his sense
And crashed his horse into a fence.

Johnny flew across the ground
Landing hard onto the mound.
He lay there with an bleeding side
Barely even still alive.

Long behold, the sheriffs men
Found their bounty once again.
As their horses reached the place.
Johnny lay there in disgrace.

Captured and returned to town.
Johnny’s luck has fizzled out.
Up the nouse, the rope was strung.
Where Johnny Joe was to be hung.

Crowds had gathered, throwing stones.
Striking hard on Johnny’s bones.
Waiting on the trapdoor block.
Round his neck the nouse did lock.

Sherriff entered the hanging place
Spitting into Johnny’s face.
Crying out with one last breath,
“LETS SEND JOHNNY JOE TO DEATH! ”

Sherriff pulled the trapdoor back
And Johnny felt the lose of slack.
He fell down fast and closed his eye
In moments, he knew he would die.

The body cut and buried deep
Upon the grey town graveyard heap.
But little did the Sherriff know
There was another Johnny Joe.

Far away, across the desert sand,
There was a boy called Shifty Sam.
Who rode to kill the Sherrif Foe
Just like his dad Old Johnny Joe.