I always had a hair trigger. Anything could set me off. Now I know there will soon gallows, and the noose seems so far off. I once was a freeman, but now I am a Slave. And by dawn, tommorow, I will be in my grave. I killed a man in Birmingham, shot him while he was down. I jumped on my horse, and ran out of that town. Now the posse's riding hard, tracking a killer down, A killer I'm trying to outrun, but never can be bound. And I think about my family. My mother, my father, my son. And I curse the day I touched, That damned old killing gun. I know my time is near now. I hear thee hoof beats fall. I blink through my sorrow, And turn to face them all. The dawn is drawing near now. I see through these bars. That scaffold is high, and covered with scars. Scars from men before me. Killers through and through. We always had hair triggers. And this is what we do. As I stand on too of it, the noose around my neck, He asks for my final words, And with my final breath, "I always had a hair trigger. That is my only regret. I hope that after I'm gone, nobody has to pay this debt."
Since you feel creating a thread in active topics to get criticism on your poetry is necessary, realize you are putting yourself in a bad position. KAW forumers are harsh. You want my opinion? It was ok. The words used are relatively plain. I like a broad picture when I read poetry, but that is only my opinion, my tastes. If that is your first poem, that is pretty good.
When all else fails.... ZOMBIE IT! I rise from my grave, My soul not to save, My mind is now gone, No memories but one. I look to the north, and see not a face, I look to the south, and see that dreaded place. The gallows still stand, Still tall, Still grand. That brings back my memory. I must ravage this land. The first one was slow, His name, I didn't know. He screamed and ran, But I caught hold of his hand, I drug him down, And here I am now. I look to the west, I see not a soul. I look to the east, and there they come so. The posse that took my life from my chest, Must now pay dearly, Only then, must I rest.