" Ghost Rider, the Beginning "

Some claim he's just a legend
A demon cursed to scourge the land
Others swear he's a guardian angel
Redeeming sins he committed as a man
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And there are surely times
Even he may have his doubt
For as he rides through the darkness
He remembers how it all had come about
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Born a half breed at birth
Not really an Indian or a white
As a child he quickly learned
To stay hidden out of sight -
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He lived a childhood of torment
And no matter how he tried
He remained shunned and harassed
Never accepted by either side
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He learned to hunt and track
Then how to use a gun
The only solace he ever found
Was the stillness, when the day was done
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Then at the age of fourteen
His found his parents beaten and bound
Both had been murdered
His home burned to the ground
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As he sifted through the rubble
His rage began to grow
And when he found his father's six gun
He knew it was time for him to go
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He followed three sets of tracks
Leading to a saloon on a street of mud
That night from within the shadows
He shot all three in cold blood
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A jury sentenced him to hang
But he escaped into the night
Outwitting the Sheriffs posse
He stayed hidden from their sight
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Seeking help from an Indian village
He was mocked and turned away
Finally the Union Army intervened
Determined to make him pay
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They enlisted the help of Indian scouts
Who were known to be the best
He was cornered on an Indian burial ground
It set in a box canyon to the west
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On foot with no escape
He traded shots until a bullet grazed his head
The soldiers then tied him to a tree
Where he was horse whipped and left for dead
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When he finally did come too
He was barely alive
And only the water of a summer rain
Allowed him to survive
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His spirit now raged with a hellish fire
A fire others might have found odd
But because this was sacred ground
He felt betrayed, even by God
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He made his way through out the west
Living the life of an outlaw
Forever practicing with his gun
Until no mortal man could match his draw
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He rarely showed any mercy
He took what ever he pleased
Yet the rage within his soul
Was never quite appeased
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Of the posses that chased him
Few had ever came back
Like a ghost within the night
He seldom left a track
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Legend says he rode a dark horse
Who's speed was all but frightening
A beast that never seemed to tire
The Indians called his horse Lightning
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He wreaked havoc on union soldiers
Still his vengeance wasn't done
He found the Indian scouts who betrayed him
Each died a victim of his gun
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Lawmen and bounty hunters alike
Even war parties of men
Often searched for his trail
Most were never seen again
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Even two Federal Marshals
Made one fatal flaw
When they challenged the speed
Of the lightning in his draw
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Then at the edge of the great Missouri woods
On a warm moon lit night
All the pain of his childhood returned
As he witnessed a young boy's plight
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Union soldiers were chasing a young Indian
The boy tripped and fell upon the ground
He tried to get up and run
But their gun shots pinned him down
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He heard the boy's prayer to the Great Spirit
A prayer he spoke in Cherokee
Suddenly he recalled another boy's unanswered prayer
The night union soldiers had tied him to a tree
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The rage within him exploded
On horseback he suddenly blocked the soldiers path
Charging straight at the soldiers
The guns of both unleashed their deadly wrath
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Like many before them
Several soldiers died by his hand
Though he knew without question
This would be his last stand
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He and his horse were hit several times
As bullets fell like rain
The soldiers tried to advance
But his gun held their efforts in vain
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The boy tried to come to his aid
But knowing his days were now done
He turned and shouted in Cherokee
Telling the young man to run !!!
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Growing weary and weak
For an hour he held the soldiers at bay
Then as he drew his last breath
He felt his life slip away
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In less than a moment
The life he had known was gone
He found himself looking across a deep valley
Just moments before the dawn
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Every moment of his life
Now filled a western sky
Every miss deed he had done
Right down to every lie
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He shouted why did you forsake me
Why was I cursed until the end
And as he stands in apparent judgment
He hears a gentle voice within the wind
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Because you believed you were forsaken
You chose a sinful path to ride
This was a mistake that you believed
Even until the day you died
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I saved you from the gallows
Though you didn't think I heard you pray
When you were tied upon that tree
I alone drove the wolves away
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The summer rain that I sent you
Sustained your strength to face your fears
That was my gift from Heaven
For they were my own sweet loving tears
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I knew that you were lonely
So I gave you a faithful trusting horse
I hoped your bond of friendship
Would change your sinful course
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Yet your heart was cold as ice
From grace your spirit fell
Only your final act of compassion
Spared your soul the flames of hell
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You gave your life to save another
There's no greater honor man can attain
Yet the life you led can't be ignored
So on earth your spirit must remain
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Across the very land you once reined terror
You must ride as a shadow through the night
A ghost of the past confronting evil
A guardian for all that's right
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Across your midnight journeys
You'll find that evil stalks the land
My son you have a choice
Embrace it or take a stand
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For upon Judgment Day
Heaven or Hell awaits
You've been granted a second chance
Your actions alone will decide your fate
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Just remember this my son
I am always at your side
But which path you choose to follow
Only you can decide
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Robert Pledger©
11/5/09