No Longer A Quaker Poem by David Welch

Redmon Yost lived in Iowa
with mother and siblings,
the oldest of seven children
had just turned seventeen.
His pa had passed on two years back,
Redmon had gone to work,
punching cows at Holloway's Ranch,
long hours made bones hurt,
but pay was good
and all relied
on what he earned,
so he did ride.
Had no room to drink down his pay
or in the saloons lurks.

Redmon differed from his partners
in that he had no gun,
his family were all Quakers,
he was forbidden one.
They ribbed him about that sometimes,
but he paid them no heed,
Ma said turning the other cheek
beat making pour sols bleed.
She said it was
the law of God,
so Redmon rode
without a rod,
and this town was a quiet spot,
so Redmon saw no need.

Until the day an outer ranch
was hit, the men away,
the bandits took horses and cash
in the bright light of day.
News ran fast across the prairie,
a true posse was formed,
but the trail was lost by the men
in sudden prairie storm.
A twister was
no little thing,
no robbers would
be seen to swing,
And everybody hoped that life
would return to the norm.

But normalcy was not to be,
a stage was hit that weak,
old Amos Tanner was gunned down
while driving to get free,
then came a string of robberies,
a murder and two rapes.
Who did this? Nobody could tell,
the town was fit to break,
Redmon saw the
increasing harm,
began to think
of going armed,
but his mother cried, "No, you fool!
Don't join in with their hate! "

This didn't make much sense to him,
did God want them to die?
Peace was great, but what evil man
just nodded and passed by?
If God have given him this life,
if it was his great gift,
would He turn and say, "I forbid
you from defending it."
But mother said,
"It is his will, "
But did He mean
To get folks killed?
Redmon couldn't believe He would,
and those thoughts made a rift.

He thought of it for many days,
then went and bought a colt,
when Ma saw it, she railed and screamed,
her peace she could not hold.
Redmon had to sleep at the ranch,
in the big, long bunkhouse,
but it was close to his home so
he could keep an eye out.
His mother gave
silent treatment,
believed her words
were Heaven sent.
It left poor Redmon riddled with
a plethora of doubts.

It went like this for several weeks,
people kept getting robbed,
Redmon rode in one afternoon
from getting doggies bobbed,
and in the distance, at the home
strange horses he did see,
fear rose and he sprinted his mount,
Ttre across the prairie.
The door was wide,
inside the house,
he saw sister
without a blouse,
and two men standing over her,
grinning so lustily.

The colt flashed fast form his holster,
head-shot to the near man,
the other went for his pistol
and was quite fast of hand.
Redmon got another shot off,
but so did his damn foe,
the bandit took it through the neck,
collapsed, died in a choke.
Redmon was shot
in his left thigh,
mother ran out,
was by his side.
"They said that they would kill us all,
after they…well…you know…"

They sent for doctor and lawman,
and both were quickly there,
Doc said, "It missed the blood vessels,
there's no need to despair."
Lawman said, "Those are Allen's boys,
they never were no good.
Should have expected they would take
anything that they could."
Took them out,
and all were safe,
mother had tears
streaking her face,
said, "Please, you saved us all today,
move back in, if you would? "

He said, "Ma, I cannot do that,
I will carry a gun.
If you even again need help
just call, and I will run."
And though his mother still would not
carry a gun herself,
she stopped condemning those who did
to a fiery hell.
She saw that God
made many paths
that all would walk
intil the last.
What path was chosen for Redmon
only time dared to tell.