A crippled boy saves a woman from being abused by vicious outlaws.
From the west came the three,
Seeking rest and sanctuary.
From the lawmen they did flee
Sutter and his sons.
From their horses clambered down.
Robbed a bank in Kansas town.
Killed a man of some renown.
Then holstered they, their guns.
A gentle woman owned the farm.
Said they meant to do no harm.
Of their weapons they’d disarm
She’s sure that they spoke true .
They set to work upon the land.
Gave the farm a helping hand.
Toiled so hard that little band.
‘they spied then, Georgy Blue.
A stranger boy they never saw.
From infancy to civil war.
Still they stayed, would not withdraw.
Jim Sutter and his brood.
He smiled and tried their friend to be.
Dressed in shirt and dungaree.
Loathing plain for all to see.
He’d put them off their food.
Georgy’s mother died one day.
Buried her but would not pray.
Sold the farm, took George away.
To help their outlaw ways.
With George along they hit a town.
Killed a woman, shot her down.
Left her lying on the ground.
Poor Georgy’s mind a daze
Zack and Roy, they planned abuse.
A gentle woman they would use.
A challenge they would never lose.
Stole her from the bank.
Zack forced her secluded place.
Pawed her breasts, kissed her face.
In a cramped and dirty space.
Her beating heart it sank.
Georgy Blue heard her cries.
Gun in hand he climbed the rise.
From the pair he vowed he’d prize.
That gentle woman she.
He gave a challenge, gunned down Zack.
Then holed up in that dirty shack.
For George there was no going back.
What must be, must be.
Sutter wanted Georgy dead.
He’d put a bullet in his head.
Fill his hide full of lead.
Revenge for Zack he’d crave
But Georgy Blue had had his fill.
No more he’d take that bitter pill.
Forced to rob against his will.
But Cait now he would save.
They tried for days to kill that boy.
Who gunned down Zack, and wounded Roy.
Tried out every dirty ploy.
To put him in the ground.
Sutter tried to make a bid.
To sneak up on that crippled kid.
Got up close, his gun well hid.
But Georgy shot him down.
From the town a posse came.
One man lost, another lame.
To kill the outlaws was their aim.
They hoped their aim was true .
Now they’d found the hidden cave.
The woman Cait, they vowed to save.
Each man wanted to be brave.
And shoot down Georgy Blue.
She said she’d do what ere she could.
To speak for George tell them he’s good.
Everyone misunderstood.
That sad malformed young man.
From the cabin on the slope.
He’d rescued her and gave her hope.
Though she thought they’d never cope.
With Sutter and his clan
George and Cait they left that place.
The posse saw his beastly face.
Trained their rifles just in case.
They knew not George, it’s true .
To her man, the lady sped.
A dozen shots fill George with lead.
His bloody body covered red.
They gunned down Georgy Blue.
Guilt now overwhelms poor Cait.
For leaving Georgy to his fate.
Now he stands at heaven’s gate.
Her sad and crippled friend
She came to know poor Georgy well.
Watched him wallow in his hell.
For poor George now tolls the bell.
She’d watched him meet his end.
She buried him upon her land
Placed a headstone big and grand Marble angels on a stand.
Their marble horns they blew.
She spoke to Georgy every day.
Loved him in a special way.
Close by his grave she’d always stay.
Her hero, Georgy Blue.
I loved this finely written story even though the crippled boy had to die. Your stanza's resounded with darkness and death, until the end. No light of hope fill the story except when the lady was rescued. A true-to-life wonderful, if sad, story!
From the author of Jupiter Remembered and Until It’s Time: Embracing Life In Our Later Years comes Petals of Love: Poetry of a Woman’s Soul – a heartfelt collection spanning more than thirty-five years. Through tender reflections, these poems offer g