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True Grit
My favourite movie? If I must decide,
I’d pick a classic western above all,
those epic films of frontier macho pride.
Enter the hero, riding straight and tall.
There’ll be some gunplay, and a bar room brawl.
The men are men, and say just what they mean,
And good guys win, at least upon the screen.
The western hero: he’s a man with style,
the guy on whom the whole damn town depends.
His lady love might leave him for a while
but comes back to him as the movie ends.
He loves his gal, he’s loyal to his friends,
and when he has to, he’ll enforce the law
with one shot, or a wallop on the jaw.
Sometimes I’d like to be a man like that,
who has his code, and knows what it’s about:
the clean-cut hero wearing the white hat.
If there is trouble, he’ll soon sort it out.
He’s not neurotic, he has no self-doubt.
Alas! My western daydreams are in vain.
I’m far more Woody Allen than John Wayne.
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Walkin’ in the Rain
She loved to walk out in the rain,
especially in his embrace.
Like soft warm raindrops on her face,
gentle and pure, his kisses came.
She so adored a rainy day.
She cherished every falling drop.
She didn’t want the storm to stop
As he kissed all her cares away.
They both loved walking in the rain,
they even loved the cloudy sky.
But they discovered, by and by,
that like the weather, love can change.
At first, she never would suppose
that he’d turn out to be a pain,
reminding her of pouring rain
And shivering in cold damp clothes.
He seemed now like the kind of guy
who made her think of cold wet drops
no overcoat can ever stop.
They leave you longing to be dry
And wishing you could just get home.
She sheltered from the storm, and him.
And now their lives are not so grim.
But both walk in the rain—alone.
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David Whippman is a British poet, now retired after a career in healthcare. Over the years he’s had quite a few poems, articles and short stories published in various magazines.
“True Grit” was indeed a classic western movie, as you described the genre so well in rhyme and rhythm. The last line was what is called a “turn” in sonnets speak and made me laugh a little, although I doubt you fit the Woody Allen mold. “Walkin’ in the Rain” is similar in that regard, but with an all too often realistic ending that made me empathetic to both of the former lovers.
Thanks Roy, glad you enjoyed the pieces. Alas, I have on several occasions been likened to Woody, both physically and temperamentally. Not as regards talent, though!
David, some simple plots need to be approached from an opposite direction.
Both of these are such poems. I enjoyed them very much. Thanks for sharing them !
And thank you, Sally, for your kind words. Glad you enjoyed the poems.
‘True Grit’ – the first film I saw where a person gets their fingers chopped off. The remake’s good, too, though ‘The Searchers’ for me tops it.
Funnily enough, I just watched a fairly modern (2015) Western called ‘Slow West’. It’s well worth a watch.
Your poem reminded me of Rio Bravo, David, which for me would also be up there with The Searchers and True Grit, what with Dean Martin, the reformed drunk serenading us for some reason, and old Stumpy being an utter curmudgeon – and of course Sheriff John Wayne and Angie Dickinson (Police Woman’) as the tough as nails saloon owner (maybe not owner!) and love interest. There was also a Colorado Kid in it (the green youngster who wants to make his name), if memory serves me right.
Yep, your poem brought it all back. Thanks for the read.
Thanks Paul. I’ll check out “Slow West”. One of my favourite westerns has to be “Unforgiven.” So realistic. But I love the stock characters in the old films: the grumpy old cook, the weasel-faced villain, etc. Maybe the reality was a bit different; but they are still great films.
I really enjoyed your poem, True Grit. I like the surprise in the last line.
Thanks Christopher, the last line is sad but true!
David, I can fully appreciate ‘True Grit’ being up there as one of your film faves. There’s an awful lot to be said for the formulaic Western… a formula that works for me. I like gallant men in cowboy boots and a happy ending. It would appear the older I get, the more radical I become. 😉 I think the ‘Walkin’ in the Rain’ lady must be a British lady with a budding desire to move to Texas. Great fun!
Thanks Susan. For me, the old westerns are pure entertainment. Fun indeed.
David, after the definition of the classic Western hero in “True Grit,” I begin to wonder about your offered (but unexplained) contrast in Woody Allen. I remember seeing Allen on TV a few times, but paid little attention. I know the poem is about a wish to emulate the John Wayne type, but just what is the Woody Allen type? None of the above? Or do we see here a concern with an individual (Allen), reflected back toward all underappreciated individuals (yourself included) who live in the shadow of the Western hero?
Thanks for your comment, Margaret. In a lot of his films, Allen portrays a character wracked by self-doubt and indecisiveness. Much as I hate to admit it, that was me for much of my life. I think the same could be said for a lot of guys.
Nice! I especially enjoy Walkin’ in the Rain. It’s very relatable as it seems to happen an awful lot in life and the simple weather analogy works really well to express the changing dynamics of relationships.
Thanks Yael, the rain motif is what I was trying to express; I must admit I stole the title from the song made famous by David Cassidy and the Walker Brothers!
Two very nice ones, David, and a pleasure to read, though I might be prejudiced, owing to the fact that I worked as a cowboy in ultra-rural Arizona for three years in the late 70s.
Thanks CB. If an ex-cowboy likes my western poem, that’s a real endorsement!