Tommy Gun Blues 

I can’t stay in

I can’t get out

My heart is so hard

My tears become drought

Your life is in my hands

But who holds mine

My rivers flow with blood

I am stranded in time

From across the gaping void

The light becomes clear

You realize with a start

There is no time for fear

My life will soon end

It’s a price I must pay

On the road of existence

I turned the wrong way

I will carry my burdens

Like a head in a noose

Just cannot shake

These Tommy Gun Blues

Bio: Fred Shrum, III was born near Washington, D.C. and grew up in Florida. He attended the University of South Florida and earned a B.A. in Communication with a minor in Business Administration. Previous works have been published in Suspense Magazine and Crime Magazine.