The Land of the Gun

Lisa Campbell 1966 (Ohio)



THE LAND OF THE GUN

Old leather chaps covered in dust
Wagon trains rolling its gold or bust
Lives won and lost all in the quest
All things are possible if you just go west

Hat down low gazing into the sun
Searching for a place to hide always on the run
Eyes wrinkled but still sharp as a hawk
A solitary man hard as a rock

The sound of spurs echoing down an alley
A posse riding hard and fast through Death Valley
Horse hooves pounding kicking dirt into the wind
Soon it will be over, the desperado will meet his end

Five days a fugitive his horse rode to death
The bandit begins to tire he doesn’t have much left
With hands held high he gives up the fight
He will be dead before sunset, he won’t live another night

Death has come and brought the scent of decay
Vultures circling above in search of their prey
A hangmans' noose is sure to come
If you live the life of an outlaw in the land of the gun

About this poem

I enjoy western stories, history and movies. This poem is about the old west.

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Written on January 28, 2022

Submitted by lisacampbell29 on February 22, 2022

Modified by lisacampbell29 on June 09, 2022

55 sec read
122

Quick analysis:

Scheme A BBCC AAXX DDXX XXEE FFXA
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 909
Words 185
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Lisa Campbell

I am 56 years old. I love to write poems, short stories and lyrics. more…

All Lisa Campbell poems | Lisa Campbell Books

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Discuss the poem "The Land of the Gun" with the community...

5 Comments
  • zyiawithmelissa
    Wonderfully written! Great work!
    LikeReply 11 year ago
  • Dougla$Irishman
    Lisa that poem about " The Land of the Gun " was a classic, one of the best poems I have read ! You are a winner, your style is unique and thrilling.
    I can hardly wait about the sheriff who always get his man ! 
    LikeReply 11 year ago
  • Dougla$Irishman
    I will second that motion that this western poem kept you actively being in the role of the bandit, what a ride, what an ending, just like the old west !
    This is so very good !
    How about writing one on the good guy the sheriff, he always gets his man !? 
    LikeReply 11 year ago
    • lisacampbell29
      Thank you very much for your comments. I really appreciate it. I will work on a poem about a western sheriff. That's a great idea! I have been writing lyrics lately. I need to find some balance and write some poems. Thanks again, Lisa. 
      LikeReply1 year ago
  • lisacampbell29
    Thank you very much!
    LikeReply 11 year ago
  • abielias1
    I practically feel like I'm in an Old Western Reading your poem!
    LikeReply 11 year ago

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"The Land of the Gun" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/120712/the-land-of-the-gun>.

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