Win, Lose, Or Draw | Michael Pendragon

There’s a little back room in the Last Chance saloon
Where a man takes his cards and drinks straight
Where tobaccy is strewn ’round the corner spittoon
And the bartender answers to “Nate”
It was there that a man known as Three-Fingered Dan
Played a hand with the Cayuga Kid
Now this Three-Fingered Dan was a hard gamblin’ man
Known from Deadwood to sunny Madrid
And ’twas said, I believe, Dan would lie and deceive
With the ease of a Siamese cat
Kept a Jack in his boot and an ace up his sleeve
And a deuce in the brim of his hat
A six-gun on his hip, a seegar on his lip
With his Stetson set low on his brow
He laid down a blue chip as he let his cards flip
To show three pretty maids in a row
But the Cayuga Kid swore Three-Fingers had hid
His true hand ‘neath the flap of his vest
And the wild-eyed kid flashed a sneer as he bid
Old Dan put his gun hand to the test
Dan did not hesitate, fer the hour grew late
And ol’ Nate was a-waitin’ to close
Thus resigned to his fate, Dan stood up slow and straight
As he struck a formidable pose
Now ol’ Three-Fingered Dan lacked a good shootin’ hand
Having only two pegs and a thumb
An’ the top one was bent like a Double-X brand
And the one on the bottom was numb
But it only takes one fer to fire a gun
And Dan’s aim it were deadly and true
When the gunsmoke dispersed, ol’ Three-Fingers had won
An’ the Kid’s gamblin’ days were all through
If this tale has a moral, it’s don’t pick a quarrel
With a killer who’s got half a hand
‘Cause beg, steal, or borrow he’ll end with the laurel
And leave you but six foot of land.

Michael Pendragon is an American writer, poet, editor, and publisher currently residing in upstate New York. He is best known for having published a pair of literary magazines: “Penny Dreadful” and “Songs of Innocence & Experience” (1996-2005). His published works include: “Much of Madness” – a novel; “Into the Night” – collected poetic works (1980-2010). His writings have appeared in “The Romantics Quarterly,” “The Dream Zone,” “The Raintown Review,” “Metverse Muse,” “The Roswell Review,” “Boston Poetry Magazine,” and over 200 others.