Ride of Redemption

Loyalty lifted its reverent voice to summon a journey

Of a vowed allegiance by one who breathes in mourning

The loss of a comrade whose life exited its earthly path

Too soon, leaving the world lacking the fruit of his craft.

In an unobtrusive, shallow grave of remote discern,

A body lay restlessly out of need for concern.

To be buried in his native land was his desire---

To mingle with the soil of his birth, free of ire.

Nature's deep, lamenting voice serenaded in song

A tribute to one who has lain for so long

In a rented earth bath, a covert overgrown

With little respect to be yielded or shown.

Destiny then propelled the path of a conscientious man

Who, as thought, savored the juices of a well-devised plan

That directed him to take a justified and moral stand

In defense of an ally entombed in a foreign land.

While bleeding thoughts of an innocent, murdered friend

Saturated his mind with a crushing desire for revenge,

A compassionate heart then whispered, "Stay the harsh, remote course;

For anything less than fulfilling the promise would be worse."

He then challenged the mocking face of incertitude

And cowered not to the whims of the multitude;

For his sanguine nature forced a destiny bound

To establish for his amigo a place of great renown.

The spirit of the land then invaded his compassionate soul

As vast stretches of Nature's highway began to unfold

Before weary eyes, like worn pages of a classic tale to be told,

Unveiling the spirit of one man undaunted, resolute, and bold.

Armed with the promise to inter the remains of his friend,

He held in high esteem the message to send

That this honorable request he would not begrudingly rescind

To have his buddy reach his final resting place in the end.

Across the beckoning plains he rode to a measured cadence of way,

Seeking consolation within himself profoundly to pay

Homage to a compadre whose stretched body on a horse-hearse lay

In undisturbed, lifeless repose the whole of the day.

Grappling with Heaven's scorching lamp of hot, incessant chill,

The companion pleaded to the night's sedative still

To release him from the fatiguing day with her pill

In preparing a noble act guided by great fortitude of will.

The dawn drew back her illuminating curtains in revealing

The birth of a new day to claim for him a genuine feeling

Of the rejuvenation of his moral strength and spiritual healing

To reconcile his thoughts of avenging a killing.

Bridled thoughts raced through an astute mind

At a pace rivaling Time's fleeting moments to find

A solution to rectify a deed in nature so unkind,

Creating a "knot" within the heart, stirring "the tie that binds."

As daylight ended its reign at twilight's fall

And the moon rested in tranquility to the sky's night call,

The remnant of a gusty wind blew in the air of desperation,

Serving as a memory-piece for him seeking rectification.

Stalwart in temperament, he greeted the new morn,

Awakening to an emotional charge that was newly borne

Of a spirit glowing in restless energy and confidence with which to adorn

A genuine purpose leading him over hills, valleys, and plains well-worn.

The spirit of a corpse rejoiced in knowing it was homeward bound,

Though its voice to the indifferent lacked an audible sound;

But the joyous song coming from within still could be heard

In the heart of one who listened with empathy to every word.

The orange-tinted, haloed skyline fortuitously embraced

The moody, expansive desert ceremoniously laced

With Nature's " colony" disturbed by an invasion of space

Claimed by travelers who came and went without a trace.

A horse-laden funeral procession with the body secured in a sack

Moved at intervals, guided by him who chose to act

In accordance with the principles made within the pact

To travel toward a final destination without turning back.

To be buried once---not twice nor thrice--- was sensible to envision,

Planting a cause firmly rooted in one man's far-reaching vision;

While conflicting worlds, drowning in senseless disputes and divisions,

Attempted to legislate the fate of one, based on shallow decisions.

The gracious charnel house opened its arms to greet

One of its own to the quiescent "room of everlasting sleep"---

A "favorite son" who came home once more---

To be interred in a land welcoming him through its loving doors.

Finding at last a permanent  "work" to keep him "still"---

Resting peacefully in a bower far into the hills,

A soul achieving redemption in his Mother Land

Owed a debt of gratitude to a true friend---a real "rancher" of a man.

                  Copyright(c)2005CharlyneO

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