"Dusty's Poem"

Some time back, 50-Caliber and I had a small discussion about some of the poems I was putting out onto HubPages. He told me that he enjoyed reading the things, but that I would never be able to put a poem together “about” him. He came close to being correct about that. As it turned out, I wrote one “for” Dusty – not “about” Dusty.

All the same, it could easily be mistaken for a poem about him. Back in the Vietnam War he served as a “door gunner” on one of those Huey helicopters. That was when he was injured.

He liked “his” poem a lot. That made me almost as happy as it seemed to make Dusty.

Here it is for those who might want to share it. I am going to unpublish the original hub so that this tribute to our friend, 50-Caliber doesn't cause a ruckus for its duplication of the original.

"Nothing boring here"

"Well, here’s my rifle -
nice big bore –
just the thing
to start a war,
or put a roast
into the pot
to let it cook
until it's hot.

Bought this cannon
at a sale.
Hundred bucks,
smack on the nail.
Caliber’s 50 –
very huge –
Shootin' this ain’t
subterfuge.

Took it out
to my back 40.
Pretended I was
on a sortie.
Pulled the trigger.
"Boom" it went.
Shoulder broke
and barrel bent.

I’m heading to
the patenting place.
Hurry, hurry –
gotta race –
‘cause now my rifle’s
not just ornery.
Crazy thing shoots
kitty-cornery."

"This one's for our HubPages friend, "50 Caliber" (Dusty), over there in Arizona with his dogs and that sofa with the big bullet hole in its middle. Just think, Dusty, with this wonderful rifle you could shoot around corners without even having to look in that direction."