Max Martin's Death Wish Poem by David Welch

Max Martin's Death Wish



When Max Martin rode into town
he found Juanita, tanned and brown,
as she worked her shift tearing bar,
he walked up and ordered a drink.
She looked over the dust-swept man,
who seemed as if he'd once been grand,
but now his face had hidden scars,
like a person pushed to the brink.

And so she asked, 'What got you blue? "
He looked at her, but stared right through,
then simply asked, "Have you heard talk
of an outlaw named Red Malone? "
A cold anger came to his eyes
and Juanita did realize
that this man was here on a stalk,
he'd not come west to build a home.

He said, 'With him my revenge lies,
I'll kill him and then I can die."

Juanita flinched at his grim words,
that lacked joy, happiness, and verve.
"Malone rides with a bandit crew,
it's not wise to tussle with him."
But Max just said, "I have no choice,
her murdered my wife, and my boy,
there may be joy in life for you,
all that's left is my purpose grim."

She looked away, and hid a tear,
said, "Sometimes they will come in here,
though rarely do they come at once,
I could point them out when they show."
He said, "You'd put yourself at risk,
are you sure you want to do this? "
She said, "I've seen what they have done,
and it's time their evil did go."

She said, "Maybe you are the guy
to make these vile brigands die."

So Max would sit in the saloon,
arriving there most days at noon,
until at the end of the week
Juanita motioned him aside,
pointed out a man with black hair,
"That's Red Malone's man there,
they say riders' money he seeks,
and by no law will he abide."

Max followed the man when he left,
and Malone's man went to his death,
Max came back and he made no boast,
nor did he make claim on bounty.
It was the talk all through the bar,
and word of it soon spread out far,
there in Juanita's well-worn roost,
the hidden hero drank whiskey.

She said to him, 'With me you'll lie,
for making that murderer die."

Juanita and max had a poke,
but the next day, when she awoke,
he sat on the edge of the bed,
looking vacantly into space.
Said, "This can be only some fun,
and I can never be ‘the one, '
all that I ever loved lays dead,
and I am not long for this place."

There was great tension when he spoke,
his voice was just a ragged croak,
the man was a great mass of pain,
more than she'd ever seen before.
She said, "I'm not some dreaming girl,
you're not the first man in my world,
but if you bring down Malone's reign,
you can come here if you want more."

He said, "Best not let me inside,
for when I'm done I plan to die."

That week he went and tracked down two,
he did not brag, nobody knew
what man was plaguing Malone's gang,
or how he could be so lethal.
The first man was shot in the chest,
the other three times in the breast,
and the next week a man did hang
with his pistol cylinder full.

And every night Max lay with her,
would leave before Juanita stirred,
weeks passed and more villains fell,
he even killed Malone's right hand.
Until one evening, in blind rage,
Malone to the bar angrily came,
said, "I'm sending all of you to Hell,
unless you reveal this damn man! "

Max rose and said, "Let's go outside,
it's far time that I make you die."

Outside went this fate-bonded pair,
timidly folks crept close to stare,
then Max's gun quickly came free,
from his pistol fire did spit.
The bullet struck Red Maone's back,
he cried, "You filth! Honor you lack! "
Max said, "You killed my family,
honor has nothing to do with it! "

Red Malone bled out on the ground,
his death seen by all of the town,
Juanita took him to her bed,
she knew well this was their last time.
Come the next day he made to leave,
she said, "Could you not stay with me? "
She stroked her stomach, and she said,
"Could you help raise this child of mine? "

Utter shock came quick to his eyes,
"I-I told you…I want to die…"

He rode off into the wild,
seemed not to care for their child,
she would have to bear him alone,
for a doomed man could be no dad.
Three cold and lonely mounts did pass,
she heard the rumors travel fast,
no father would he child know,
they judged her and pitied the lad.

Until amongst a bitter fall,
she struggled to maintain it all,
her condition made business tough,
when Max returned to the saloon.
He looked at her and said, "Go sit.
You need to rest, I'll handle it."
She would have got her ire up,
but couldn't, the kid would come soon.

And as he served drink on the fly,
she said, "I thought you wanted to die? "

Later she talked with the grim soul,
who said, "For so long I've been cold,
and life had just taken from me,
all I had left was my revenge.
Red took my wife, he took my son,
just avenge them, and I'd be done…
but you gave of yourself freely,
and messed up my desired end.

"And at first, yes, I was seething,
when I had planned out everything…
but I think God put you in my way
to help me find new hope in life.
You went and took me to your bed,
it's only right that we should wed,
say so and I won't leave this pace,
we'll run it as husband and wife.

"I want to hear our baby cry,
and I no longer wish to die."

At first she felt she should be mad,
that leaving her here had been bad,
but remembered back to those words
the first night that the two had touched,
and she could see in him the change,
his eyes no longer help the pain,
staying angry was hard for her,
Juanita wanted this so much.

She said, "We'll do as you have spoken,
a whole we'll make from two haves broken,
I can never be what you lost,
but we might just build something new."
He kissed her right there, took her hand,
pledged henceforth he would be her man,
and though Max had born a great cost,
he had discovered something true.

Children would come, in total five,
and Max had no more time to die.

Friday, April 17, 2020
Topic(s) of this poem: anger,cowboy,epic,loss,lost love,love,narrative,pain,rebirth,recovery from
POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
This is a fictional story.
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
READ THIS POEM IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Close
Error Success