A Gunfighter's Epitaph Poem by Billy Loving

A fierce warrior indeed
Tending his crops, his family to feed
Thundering hooves breaking the silence
Prelude to the impending violence
Long ago his guns retired
A simple life all he desired
Marauding bandits unaware
Dropping his hoe, starting to stare
Bullets suddenly whizzing by
His startled children begin to cry
Hastily retreating within
Battle soon to begin
Opening a weathered old chest
His guns long since put to rest
Their feel he remembers so well
As his family's fear he tries to quell
Peering through the windows all around
Ten riders, his house they surround
Bullets start to fly
As outside, they begin to die
Undiminished, his aim
Dying all the same
Bone chilling, the silence
An end to all the violence
Cautiously appearing at the door
His old friends at his side once more
His family saved, the tale they still tell
About the day he fought so well
Many years latter, laid here to rest
Journey done, an end to life's quest