The Myth That Was Him

By Billy Rock Mitchell

There he sat

That old ragged man

Unassuming and underwhelming

With a glass once half full now half empty of wine

Inside his blood shot eyes memories of yester time

For inside his brain is singing of the adventures long since gone

And in the theatre of his mind he told his imaginary audience of his escapades

And his list was long

He had fought with his band of brothers on a South American bay

Dined with a regal prince at midnight in the tower of Mandalay

Played a high stakes poker game with the triad in the land of east Indonesia

Escaped from the grasps of brigands though how has been lost to amnesia

He was the head chef on the maiden voyage of the luxury yacht the Scarlet Surprise

Survived her sinking handily by thinning his blood with the kitchens alcohol supplies

He danced the mamba and the waltz with Marlene Dietrich and Grace Kelly

And patented the original and unsuccessful portable micro sepia telly

With cunning bravado he had outsmarted the The Bob Cart Bandit of Nottingham Tree

And wooed all three of the famous sisters of the manor house of Dunston By Sea

Drank 3 gallons of milk to win a bet with a capricious dairy farmer

His bounty for which was the barns prized golden haired llama

He of course had many more tales to tell his audience of the minds eye

These were just a smattering of his stories

Just a choice few

And if one was inclined to fill his cup I'm sure he'd be happy to tell all of when he was the adventurer of before

When he was young, when he was brash

When he did sway, when he did dash

Loved and hated in equal regard

That many faced travelling bard

Did it all happen?

Was it all true?

Did nostalgia some facts askew?

Maybe but this was his story

His truth

His legend

The man who this old timer once was

There he sat

That old ragged man

Powerful and vibrant

Wine refilled with dreams and memory

Inside his blood shot eyes a twinkle and a smile

As he remembered the saga and myth that was him 

By Billy Rock Mitchell