John Wayne

Were you alive and kickin' in the late 50', early 60's, before "The Man with No Name," "Dirty Harry," and pre "True Grit"?

If you were, you may recall that John Wayne, "The Duke," was the actor people knew they could depend upon to portray the Good Guy. He was wholesome, handsome, outdoorsy to say the least, and had no toleration for bad guys. And, of course, he was the bane of the lives of cultural leaders and movie critics of his time. They berated him. They hated him. And he never broke from being the genuine person he was.

If you do recall this, you may like the following that I wrote way-back near then. I have a cynical friend that says no one's going to get it. I'm betting that, if you were there, you will. If you weren't there, here's a little poetic history...it's about The Duke, his fans, and the folks who tried to destroy him.

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(Never Titled)



Soulless eyes scan a morbid horizon
And who should they spot alone in the distance
But you:

John Wayne.


You don't belong there, you know.
No doubt you do know and don't care.
Which is:

Your Treason.


That your bothers are yours, not Theirs;
Which is something those broad-minded
Cultural Parasites

Find Intolerable.


That your life goes untouched by their appeals
To a communion in the mud-pit of collective man.
For you are A man,

John Wayne.


One and living, bound by no social imperative
Except your own respect for those Alive like you.
Not dead and dying

Like your fellow artisans.



So, as long you stand Out There, a living Man
Among zombies, those soulless eyes will be
Hungry but

Not starving.


And their many owners will wish with
All the spirit they can muster that you will
Stay where

You don't belong.


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OK. Who wins the bet?(Stakes are a case of Schlitz and a good ceegar.)