The Awkward Ballad of Bang Bang McBee
By Briar Eve Sheurmann
Lemme spin y'all a tale 'bout a
Man named Bang
The ladies called him "Sweet" and the
Fellers called him trouble
He strutted 'round the yard, like a
Poppin-jay he sang
But quietly,
In secret, he
Chose to drag his feet
Through the rubble.
Every now and then
prone to a stumble.
"Good mornin' my lad, where ya be goin'?"
"I'm going to find me a place to sleep,
Where there's water and food and a maiden caught sewin',
Where everyone sows what they reap. . .
Where there's parents who want me to keep."
Bang was an orphan, left to his own
In a cruel and damned bitter world
From home to home, he was
Prone to roam
Doors slammed in his face,
Slapped in his place,
Through obscurity Bang was hurled.
'til a kindly man came,
picked him up from the loam.
"Good mornin' my lad, whatchya be needin'?"
"I'm needing a fine place to sleep,
Where there's water and food and a maiden caught readin',
Where man's thoughts can be clever and deep,
Where there's parents who want me to keep."
He was brought to a land
Where they served lemonade
And wild orchids grew tall
In the oak-induced shade.
And a maiden was there
With a thick book in hand
While her needles and twine
Idly sat on a stand.
Her hair was a web of rich
Raven-dark locks
And her eyes were the color of
Rare amber rocks.
And she smiled at Bang,
Then offered a hand
And he laughed. . .
Bang laughed
Over oceans and sandy shore it rang.
"Good morning my child, what do you desire'?"
"I'm needin' a fine place to sleep,
Where there's water and food and a chair by the fire,
Where a man's free to run, play and leap,
Where there's parents who want me to keep."
There, in that house, lived a
Fine little clan
And especially one little imp
With green, sparkling eyes,
And quick, cheeky grin,
Bang's strong, manly pride went limp.
But try as he might,
As hard as he could,
The little girl still thought him a "wimp".
"Good morning Bang Bang, just what do you want"?
"I'm wantin' a friend, brave and bold,
Who'll giggle and snigger, and raise hell and taunt,
Who'll cuddle with me when it's cold,
Since there's no parents who want me to hold."
Well, Bang Bang was charming
And won the girl over,
And soon the two outcasts 'came chums,
But deep in their hearts
They silently wished for
People to pose as their mums.
Lemme tell you the tale of little
Bang Bang McBee
How he found his sweetheart
And then lost'er
To a ma and a pa
And a little brown dog
Whose bite was worse than his bark.
The lil' girl left just after dark.
"Good evenin' my girl, just where are you goin'?"
"Dear Bang, I've got a new place to sleep.,
Where there's love and affection abundantly showing,
Where I'll count kisses instead of sheep,
Where there's parents who want me to keep."
And the lil' girl left on a
Warm summer night
And left Bang in a state
Of resentment
And forever etched in his
Mind was the flight
His cries, through the air
Rent.
And the maiden consoled,
But it all was in vain
Since they took her away,
Took him away,
Took Bang Bang away,
On a boat, on a train,
To the land without rain,
To a sterilized hall,
And graffiti filled walls,
Where he lived his life in dull pain.
"Good mornin' dear sir, where are ya goin'?"
"I'm off to kill a free man,
My gun is cocked, the blood will be flowin'
I'll make it painless, if I can,
But it was over before it began. . ."
Bang Bang grew up to charm
All those women
And earned man's begrudging
Respect
He killed in the darkness,
Requests again and again
But always for the same
God-damned end.
Then all of a sudden
He was ordered to slay
The amber-eyed seamstress,
The storyteller,
The maiden
His prey
In a war where the heroes
Were children.
And then
he saw her.
That imp.
"Good morning, cadet, what's wrong with your eye?"
"It's nothing- just rubbin' out the sleep,
You don't happ'n to remember an evenin' goodbye,
Where you abandoned a little lost sheep,
For parents who wanted you to keep."
"I'm sorry my friend, I never did such a thing.
Never did that scene unfold,
But your heart is heavy, let me sing
For your sadness is hard to behold
And I'll promise you'll never go cold."
And Bang went on livin'
In silence and doubt,
'til one day,
it came about
he blurted it out
not quite a shout
but in a lay.
No more singing in silence
And She remembered the Maid
And the sweet lemonade
And the games she had played with her Bang Bang.
And the twilight-lit flight
Into the deadening night
She remembered, now with a pang.
"Good mornin' my girl, what do you 'member?"
"I remember a bad, blue-eyed boy
Who tortured birds and picked me a flower
At first he was mean and chose to annoy
But after. . .he filled me with joy. . .such joy."
And he kissed her lips once,
Then twice,
And she blushed,
And they resumed their trek,
minus the sorrow,
Intrepidly facing
The looming tomorrow.
And just what did tomorrow bring
For Bang Bang McBee
And the sweet little girl
He'd loved since he was three….?
….Hmmm. . .not quite sure 'bout that yet.
Have ta ask Seffie. . .:)