Thursday, October 6, 2016

Blackthorne Review X Ep. 52-53


image from pinterest.com


Blackthorne

Cinemagenics 52-53

Review  Part X

“Thank-you all for the patience & persistence it takes
in trying to keep up with, & fully grasp, the scope of
this poetic cinematic saga. We’re close to a wrap now
on the requested review of the previous episodes. On
the next OLN, I will post the original Cinemagenic 54,
and (smile), we will be current.”--Glenn.

Fifty-One: Intruders--The scene opens at the men’s
campsite, as the fiery morning sun, a few minutes high, 
has blood red shafts still dancing through the ragged
clouds that hug the foothills. Buck is waking up to the
smell of frying bacon, steaming coffee, bubbling white
beans & sourdough biscuits. Johnny, “Good afternoon,
boss--you about ready for some vittles? Buck nodded
as he stood up & stretched. Behind him was the corral
trap. The Appaloosa stood watching him. The pair of
mares were down on folded legs, munching grass. A
jack rabbit burst out of the brush near them. Cheewa
lunged to the chase. jumping over the fire, spilling
some of the coffee. “Besa mi culo, boss, your dog
nearly trampled our fine breakfast.”  Yawning, Buck
said, “He’s just getting after his own meal. I’m sure
sorry he spilled the coffee.”  Both men laughed, then
Johnny became silent, “You need to wake up, my
Buck--looks like we got company.”  Buck, “Can you
tell how many?” Johnny, “More than four.”  Buck,
“Well, fuck me first thing in the morning.” The Eagle
picked up his carbine & jacked a shell into the chamber.
Cheewa returned with blood on his muzzle, and he
stood next to Johnny, a growling black ramrod. A
swirling dust cloud out on the flats began to fill up
with riders. Buck scooped up his black hat & his
heavy gunbelt--pulled his hat down in front & buckled
the gun belt tightly, pistol cartridges in front, & .50
caliber brass shells on the back side. He slipped on
his battle vest with the red shotgun shells poking out
from his heaving chest. He checked the load in his
Colt Thunderer & the sawed off shotgun. He levered
a big shell into the firing chamber of his Sharps, and
leaned it up on the edge of his fancy saddle. Johnny,
“I count cinco culeros riding down on us out of the
darkness--a pack of pendejos.” The Appaloosa stood
as a dappled statue. The mares were on their feet 
with the red sun blinking through their scanty manes.
The riders approached out of the sun in the East. 
When they were two hundred yards away, strung out in
a Cavalry picket line, Buck asked, “Who is it? Can you
tell yet?”  Johnny, “It’s Cash Bronson”. 

Fifty-Three; Red Riders--The riders emerge over the rim
with swirling dust rolling over them. Buck & Johnny stood
stiff-backed, facing the horde. Johnny, “Cocked & loaded,
boss.”  Buck. “Fucking boy rowdy.” We hear the fire
popping & the dog growling over a slide guitar riff. The 
riders come in at full gallop, the sun rising behind them,
their faces in red shadow. They pulled up hard and fast,
as their horses snorted, nickered & pranced--heaving and
steaming. Johnny recognized all them, his eyes hardening.
Buck thought, “Alright, the honcho in front has to be
Bronson.”  That man sat on a golden palomino. His gear
was Vaquaro-ornate. with wide silver-studded stirrups,
chest halter & skirts. He wore a wide-brimmed white hat
with the sides rolled up perfectly, a stark white shirt--now
dust-smeared, a thick leather string tie pulled through
a silver stallion head bolo, a weathered buckskin vest, 
tight brown denims, and fancy knee-high well-polished
boots--complete with cruel silver spur, the rowels still
spinning. A .44 Smith & Wessen hung on his left hip.
Perfect white buckskin gloves covered his small hands.
He was a big man, nearly as tall as Buck, but heavier.
He was clean shaven & had pasty pale skin, with thick
eyebrows, soot onyx eyes, & a prominent patricians'
nose. On Bronson’s left were three wire-thin jumpy
wranglers--to his right was a very tall lean fellow on
a coal gelding, whose icy green eyes waited for Buck
to notice him. He had a long thin face with dark circles
under his eyes. Buck thought, “Now this piece of work
has to be Thor”.  An awkward minute ambled by, Buck
& Johnny were taunt & ready. Finally someone spoke.


Glenn Buttkus

Posted over at dVerse Poets Pub OLN

17 comments:

brudberg said...

You sure left us with a cliffhanger when starting the rerun... somehow the small hands came in new light after recalling a certain politician... (no name needs to be mentioned). The rest of the description feels pretty close too... :-)

Glenn Buttkus said...

You are bang on with your analogy, Bjorn. I wrote the description 30 years ago, when working on the novel, but as I typed it up today, I flashed on the self-same unnamed politico fascist.

Sanaa Rizvi said...

Whistles!!! ❤️ Another mind-blowing edition of the Blackthorne series 😀 I especially love the images of "The Appaloosa stood as a dappled statue. The mares were on their feet with the red sun blinking through their scanty manes." (I love horses!) ❤️ Beautifully penned.

Lots of love,
Sanaa

Kim M. Russell said...

Keep bringing on that Appaloosa, Glenn!

Anonymous said...

The Blackthorne series and appaloosa are outstanding and great story telling.

Love it my friend. :) Miss you Glenn. :)

scotthastiepoet said...

You have such a strong sense and grasp of the visual Glenn, which you employ to great effect... Highly effective and accessible writing and storytelling to admire and enjoy, for sure

Paul John Dear said...

Missed what came before but this had me riveted. Great sense of place about this and a light touch with characters but enough to give them life.

Grace said...

Thanks for the review again Glenn ~ Missed the action of the previous chapters, smiles ~

ZQ said...

I'll be back :)
ZQ

Truedessa said...

Glenn,

You know I am a fan of this series. Your use of language puts the reader right there in the middle of the action. Now, can we just get this on the big screen. smiling...

grapeling said...

taut, suspenseful, gritty, and promising. well spun, Glenn ~

Kathy Reed said...

I like the suspense and am intrigued about the entire book (you know I have not read all of your posts from the Blackthorne series). I do wish to read the entire screenplay when it's published, turning each page awaiting how the plot and characters evolve). Love the grasp you have on the cowboys' life, the Vaquero and other Spanish lingo, the colorful guys you have given life, and the cool setting and details of each scene with horses and the whole shabang...and the rawness of the era and place. Bravo!

Anonymous said...

I've never read you before, Glenn...but this is absorbing. Will be back for more.

Lady Nyo (Jane)

Mish said...

I made myself a tea for this one and took in every brilliant detail. You are so skillful in bringing a scene to life in colour, mood and character. Bravo, sir!

tonispencer said...

Thank goodness! It will be good to read new material. I love the appaloosa so much and wow! What a cliff hanger!

lillianthehomepoet.wordpress.com said...

Oh how I have enjoyed this saga!!! I want to see a movie with Buck! I've really gotten to know him....I want to know the ending!!!
You have a real talent and insight into the west.
As a young girl, we had an very large empty field near our house...with a creek, and a hill that by mid-summer was covered with tall grasses. There were some large rocks on it....I used to pretend to be a cowboy (yes - I didn't know about pc then and didn't think of myself as a cowgirl at all) and I would "ride" through that field, pull my horse up at the top of the hill....I called it Boot Hill. Ah me, thanks for the memories my friend!

Susan Anderson said...

Lots of great description here. I also chuckled at the guy with small hands.

=)