4525. CULPEPPER

CULPEPPER

My fly in the face of the ointment,

the charnel house of all my blues : one

faction of twenty lawmen looking for gold.

Here I stand, with my six-gun in hand.

-

The deck held too many cards; that guy's

flippant hands were on everything  -  swapping

numbers, turning cards. And up his sleeve,

the Derringer I saw was held in place by

nothing but expensive gold cuff links.

-

There was a water trough out back; a few

horses whinnied, a woman in a long,

flouncy dress seemed searching for

love. I held another drink up to the sun,

and it was shot right out from my hand.