3rd Place Winner: Dan from Chandler, AZ

 

A Tribute to James Arness

The law came to Dodge City in the form of a man,
he was brave and stood tall as only heroes can.
This man was slow to anger but so fast to act,
he backed down to no man and that is a fact.

While tipping his hat to the ladies he'd meet,
he made them feel safe to walk down the street.
Honest men worked and plied their trade,
in a town whose peace the sheriff had made.

Some would test him and those men would fall,
for to this man the law applied to all.
What makes a man face danger each day?
I cannot believe it can be for the pay.

Some men are born with it, while most are not.
Pride and integrity just can't be bought.
He was beaten and cut and several times shot,
but he wouldn't stop riding 'till the villain was caught.

Heroes are often made up in our head.
Our children dream of them when they go to bed.
Marshal Matt Dillon was portrayed by an actor,
but the life of the man who played him is a factor.

This is the true hero, who went off to war,
to fight for his country like so many before.
Before he played Matt and practiced his art,
he earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

The cost of freedom is a high price to pay,
but must be paid to save the American way.
Matt Dillon was a character of whom we can talk,
but James Arness, a man who walked the walk.
By Dan
Chandler, AZ