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Bird's Blog

Poetry, musings, observations, commentary, rants, confessions...and who knows what else!

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Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Teacher, writer, poet, grandmother, lover, wine-drinker, chocolate eater, beach comber, hiker, traveler, Giants fan, San Franciscan. All work on this blog is copyrighted material.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

What John Wayne might say to Ennis and Jack



Pilgrims, daylight’s burning on your relationship. You gotta stand up like men and do what ya gotta do. People will think what they’re gonna think, but you can’t let that keep you from doing what’s right – because that’s what men do – they do what they know to be right. And right now, you’re both nothin but sissy cowboys – no men at all. Look at you. Deceiving your women, leaving them home alone while you go out carousing, lyin, cheatin’ your way into each other’s arms – that’s no way for a man to behave. Running off to the saloon for a good all-night card game is one thing and you’ll never see me speak ill of another man who does. But in those years I left Maureen O’Hara alone at night, it weren’t so I could run off and screw some other woman, or betray her in bed with a man. No. It was for friendship and that’s what a man’s gotta do sometimes. But you fellas, you’re lying and cheatin, and deceiving, cause you ain’t got enough stomach for the way it is or the way it oughta be. Ennis, Jack’s right. You two outghta lit out of here and start up your own ranch. You ain’t a man if you pay heed to what others say when you know you’re right. A man’s gotta stand up, and it doesn’t matter if as a consequence someone takes a tire arm to his face or cuts off his dick. I’ve seen Apaches do worse and respect a fella that can take that kind of abuse because he knows he’s right. Now you can bellyache and say no one deserves that kind of treatment, but as our friend Clint would say, deserve’s got nothing to do with it. So pilgrims, you stand tall and act like men.

2 Comments:

Blogger Erika said...

Now that's some damn good writin', pilgrim.

January 13, 2006 12:37 AM  
Blogger Bird said...

a writer's gotta write what a writer's gotta write. I'm a middle-aged, female college composition and reading instructor whose been possessed by JW (lord, this is not a pretty picture).

January 15, 2006 2:20 PM  

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