Across the Badlands

Across the Badlands

Born reckless, the maverick
Rides in the whirlwind,
hellbent for leather
along the great divide.

On the Hallelujah trail
Death rides a horse while
A thunder of drums
Calls a distant trumpet.

Searchers ride the high country.
A posse from hell,
The proud and the damned,
Take a hard ride.

It’s just a matter of time.
'Til they touch his hand,
The unforgiven
Beckon: “Come with me.”

“It’s time to pay the fiddler.”
The deserter prays
A cowboy’s lament
With tears in his eyes.

Old man from the mountain rides
The white buffalo.
The magnificent
Seven outriders,

Before the next teardrop falls,
Cross the great divide -
Heaven with a gun
At high noon.

A fury in paradise,
Ensues, and after
the fire is gone smoke
on the water drifts.

And north of the great divide
Two ride together,
Once upon a horse,
They saddle the wind.

This narrative poem was written using the found poetry technique.
This technique is like a collage containing bits and pieces from other works. In this case, it contains thirty-eight western song or movie titles.