Saturday, April 5, 2025

The Ballad of Guillermo La Cumbre

New Mexican skies

Where the heat, it did blaze

Baked the small, meager village

Of Rio de Fe


Poor and modest, for sure

Were the people of town

Working soil they borrowed

From a criminal crown


Guillermo La Cumbre, 

Was different it seems

His farm was his own

To his own tended means


Guillermo worked hard

But longed just to play

He lived to ride horses 

At the end of the day


HIs favorite, 

A pinto named El Corazon,

Was the fastest young horse 

He'd ever sat on


Guillermo La Cumbre 

Lived life as it's said

When life is worth living,

You're always ahead


Maria Martinez 

Lived not far away

On a parcel of dirt

Where the harvest betrayed


Her father was poor 

And his luck never followed

He owed debt to another

While his fortunes did wallow


The gorgeous brunette

Was Guillermo's true love

Sent, in his eyes, 

From the heavens above


To marry Maria 

Was Guillermo's one plan

To have many children 

To guide with his hand


Maria loved him

As much as did he

To be his dear wife

She so longed to be


Guillermo La Cumbre 

Lived life as it's said

When life is worth living,

You're always ahead


Hernandez Gigante 

Was a murd'rous feared man

He owned Maria's family

With the deed to their land


Cruel and mean, 

With a rattlesnake's charm

HIs favorite past time

Was causing nothing but harm.


Gigante loathed La Cumbre

Cuz his claim was his own

The one plot of earth 

Not owed as a loan 


Gigante did try

To force our man's luck

Stealing and threat'ning

And running amok.


Tho' on, one thing, 

The two did agree

To have Maria's hand 

Was their lifelong true need


Guillermo La Cumbre

Lived life as it's said

When life is worth living,

You're always ahead


Gigante, with the patience 

He always had lacked

Forced his intent 

Without any tact


"Marry me, Maria, 

Or your fate will be sealed

You'll all be evicted 

From your father's farmed field"


News spread through the village

At a dust devil's pace

That Hernandez was claiming

The Martinez place


The family did mourn 

The pending loss of their land

Because Maria refused 

Hernandez her hand


Helpless and lost

The father did beg

Don't pull from my family

Their only tent peg


Guillermo La Cumbre 

Lived life as it's said

When life is worth living, 

You're always ahead


When word reached Guillermo

The threat hit him hard

"Gigante's gone crazy.

He's going too far."


Guillermo decided 

Out of desired love's need

To race El Corazon 

Against Hernandez's deed


"To the winner, my colts 

And the ground that I plow

'Gainst the Martinez plot

In a horse race, I vow"


Hernandez laughed loudly 

And said to our hero

"I've got the quick horses; 

You'll end up with zero"


"We'll set out at sunrise, 

By those livery doors

Come nine in the morning, 

Second place will be yours"


Guillermo La Cumbre

Lived life as it's said

When life is worth living,

You're always ahead


The morning came quickly 

And Maria did plead

"Don't do it, Guillermo, 

It's a foolish young deed"


"Don't worry, my dear, 

The thing is but done

Your place will be yours 

By the peak of the sun"


The race for the fields

It started on time

Colts bolted like bullets

From the pistol's sweet chime.


True to his word, 

El Corazon won the race

Guillermo won hand'ly, 

Never losing his pace


Gigante lagged badly

Seeing Guillermo afar

Hell bent for leather

Corazon was the star


Guillermo La Cumbre 

Lived life as it's said

When life is worth living, 

You're always ahead


Reaching the finish,

Guillermo yelled greatly,

"It seems there's a change

In the winds that come lately."


"The Martinez grange 

Is theirs forever.

Gigante's brute menace

Should bother them never ."


Hernandez fumed 

As he pulled to the end

"The race wasn't fair

He cheated, my friends."


But no one would listen

As Hernandez accused

HIs performance was wasted

And his ego was bruised


Gigante was flustered, 

Enraged for his part

He shot young Guillermo 

Straight through the heart


Guillermo spoke softly 

As he lay nearly dead,

"When life is worth living, 

You're always ahead"

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The Ballad of Guillermo La Cumbre

New Mexican skies Where the heat, it did blaze Baked the  small, meager village Of Rio de Fe Poor and modest, for sure Were the people of to...