Just a little Poem I wrote for Christmas, the most wonderful time of the Year. Happy Holidays!

 

 

 

Once a year, bells are ringing,
Christmas carolls, they are singing.
Joy and laughter, all around,
Sounds of happiness, everywhere found.

 

Christmas Tree, shine your light,
Peacefully through the night.
Santa claus, he's on his way,
Through the sky with his sleigh.

 

So for once, don't be bad,
And stay good to mom and dad.
Sadness and sorrow nowhere near,
Cause Christmas time is finally here.

 

 

Frank Hopkins muses about his Mustang Hidalgo. Written for the movie 'Hidalgo'.

 

 

 

A long time ago,
I found someone special to me.
Wild and untamed he was.
A horse who loved to be free.

 

Together,
We would ride far and away.
Just the two of us.
Never needing many words to say.

 

Seeking out adventure,
Always being there for one another.
Never letting me down.
For he was my Little Brother.

 

Now the time had come,
For him to regain his rightful place.
Among the other horses.

And never again seeing my face.

 

Hidalgo my friend,
I thank the day that you were mine.
For we shared something unique.
That no one can define.

 

Written for the movie 'Hidalgo'.  Frank and his inner conflicts.

 

One faithful day,

I witnessed the Massacre at Wounded Knee.

Not wanting to believe nor see.
 

Dead bodies everywhere.

Blood soaking into the ground.

Souls lost and nowhere to be found.

The same blood that runs through my veins.

Guilt tore me apart.

Emptyness and loss filled my heart.

One hopeful day,

I entered the Ocean of fire.

Seeking myself an undeniable desire.

Across the desert.

Underneath the burning Sun.

Trying to forget what was done.

Days of riding and suffering.

I could feel the end approaching and soon to be near.

For I saw their faces and I had no fear.

 

Fandom: The Punisher

Pairing: Joan & Frank (but nothing too romantic so don't worry.)

Setting: Movieverse (bit of a rewrite of a scene from the 2004 movie "The Punisher".)

Summary: After his fight with The Russian (A hired assassin by the Saint Family), Frank Castle is pretty fucked up. His neighbours Joan, Dave and Bumpo try to help him when the Saint goons arrive, looking for him.

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Damn Assassins.

First Harry Heck. Who has a name like that anyway? Well a name suitable for some idiot with a guitar who thought I was a dumbass for bringing a knife to a gunfight - Well who's the dumbass now? Yeah, big mistake Harry.

And then there was this Russian guy - The moment I saw him I knew I would be in for one hell of a ride. He punched a hole in my door, just like that. Well he got right to the point. I'd give him that. He made it very clear that he came here to kill me.

Well, I'm not easily impressed but now it was hard not to be. I managed to stab him with a knife but he just stood there grinning at me, actually grinning at me with a knife in his chest.. It didn't take long before I got thrown through pretty much every wall of my, well let's say 'apartment' and soon what's to be left of it. This was only seconds before I got nearly blown up by my own fucking handgranate. This wasn't the way I had planned it. But I guess I hadn't expect someone like him to show up at my door either. Although another part of me wasn't very surprised. Saint would hire anyone to kill me.

After ending up in Bumpo's place I was really sick of it. I had to do something and fast! That guy was a real pain in the ass and I hate to admit it but he was the one getting in some good blows. For a moment there I thought I was going to die. But when I looked to my right.. It seemed that my over friendly neighbours were cooking.. Thank God for Bumpo's soup which I threw into his face. I didn't think he was that goodlooking to begin with and that hot soup didn't do it for him either. His face got heavily burned. And it bought me some time and distraction so I tackled him with all I had left and we both stumbled of the stairs. Way down. Heavy shit. Heavy guy too. That..Hurt. But I survived, the Russian didn't. Broke his neck. Served him right, trying to mess with Frank Castle.

So a little dazed from the fight, I stand up. Yeah, i'm still standing. I hear a woman's voice talking to me. "Are you alright?" Joan asked from on top of the stairs. I look up to see Joan, Dave and Bumpo standing there, shocked of what just happened. They aren't the most social gang and thanks to me they are getting a lot of unwanted action. Why did I ever go to this shithole in the first place? I sigh. "I'm fine." Before I could walk upstairs, the world turned black and I fell over onto my back.

I woke up to the sound of some familiar voices. I try to get up from the chair but I am too damn tired from the fight. God I hate this. It makes me feel so..so helpless. I look at my shirt or what's left of it. It's all torn up and i'm bleeding from several cuts. Joan is standing next to me. I look up at her. She has this sweet, warm smile plastered on her face. It reminds me of my Maria. No, got to shake that off. Now is not the right time. I've still got some unfinished bussiness to take care off. Howard Saint. Just his name fills my body with unknown anger. He makes my blood boil. I can't even describe the hatred I feel towards that man. Joan talking to me brings me out of my thoughts. I look at my chest. She is trying to stitch up some wounds. "I'm not good at much but for some reason I'm good with a needle." I give her a questioning look. "Don't ask." Don't worry.. I won't.  

So, Here I am. Beaten up. And then there is Joan, former alcoholic and the same woman I brushed off the other night. And she's actually helping me. "I'm not what you're looking for." I can still hear myself saying those exact words. But I mean it. How can I ever be that guy? Be reasonable. At the moment I wasn't only mentally fucked up but also physically. I just lost everything dear to me. Give me a break. And to top it off I have a whole gang of criminals after me. That doesn't sound much like 'mister right'. What does she want with me anyway? Me of all people.. The sharp sting of the needle brings me back to reality, once again. I give her a small smile. She is nice, though. Maybe a little too nice. I reach out and briefly touch her cheek. "Thanks." I mutter. I get another smile in return. That's more than enough for me.

Bumpo and Dave are just standing there looking at me and Joan. They are all taken aback a little by recent events. Who wouldn't? This isn't just a normal set of events on a regular day. The moment I stepped into their lives everything changed. Besides I ruined Bumpo's soup. The thought of it almost makes me want to smile before I feel pain ripping through my body. I close my eyes for a second, trying to forget. How I want to forget all this. How I want to stop the pain. The pain from my broken body aswell as the pain I feel inside my heart. Everything. But not before I have Saint. Not before he gets what he deserves.

"Someone is coming." I hear Dave saying and I immediately open my eyes. I listen carefully and I can only confirm what he just said. Saint's men. Probably looking for me. I would love a confrontation but not like this. Not when i'm like this. That wouldn't be right. That would be too easy for them. I can't let that happen. I won't let it. 

But what to do? That's momentarily the only question that pops into my mind. Fuck. This is not good. Think Frank. Think. I look around the room but I can't think of anything. Damn this is definitely not looking good. Joan kneels down beside me. Bumpo takes a seat next to me, panick written all over his face as he grips the armrests firmly and Dave leans back against a desk, unsure of what to do, where to go, but I can see his determination. Hmm.. That desk.. The elevator.. But I don't even have to say it. Dave accidentily pushes the hidden button underneath it which opens up the floor and reveals the small elevator. But it isn't big enough for all of us. Before I can do or say anything Joan drags me towards it. The elevator lowers again and the lid is closed with a small thud.

I open my mouth to protest, this is not her fight nor Bumpo or Dave's, but quickly close it when I hear the voice of Quentin Glass. He's in my apartment and he is talking to someone. Wait a minute. He's talking to Dave? What the hell is he doing? He should have run and hide. He's going to get himself killed. You don't want to mess around with Quentin. And for what? Just to save me? Some guy he doesn't even know that well. That's insane not to mention very stupid. But I have to admit. The boy has guts. But still it's stupid. I can only hear pieces of the conversation which annoyes me to no end. Dave shouldn't be even in this position. If Dave's still there than Bumpo must be too. He wouldn't leave Dave alone.

Every muscle in my body is aching. I bite down hard on my lip, trying to prevent myself from making any noises. I don't want to give us away. This situation is already bad enough. They would probably kill me right away. But I don't want them to pay for it aswell. I look up at Joan who looks pretty calm. She looks back at me and gives me a small smile. Very hard to do in a situation like this but she manages it. I don't understand how someone so nice and sweet always ended up with such an asshole. How does she do it? A sudden flash of pain catches me off guard. Ok, This is it. The end. Now we're all going to die because of me. But no real sound comes from my mouth as I feel lips on mine.. Joan's lips. I stare into her eyes. For a moment i'm frozen by her actions. She opens her mouth a little and before I know what i'm doing I have my tongue in her mouth to meet hers. I slowly put a hand on her neck to pull her closer. For a moment I was taken back on the beach at Puerto Rico. Me and Maria. Together. Happy. As soon as she comes to my mind realization kicks in.. What the fuck? What am I doing? Not good. No. With that conclusion I push her away. Damn. What's wrong with me? Just great. I slowly look up at her, afraid to see her disappointment. Joan just stares at me. I don't want to mess up her life too. Besides it's too soon. Much too soon. I can't do this. I just got carried away. That's it. I got carried away.. Joan's a beautiful woman after all. She seems to feel my distress. Placing a hand on my shoulder she nods. The kiss left me very uncomfortable. I don't do this shit. Well.. Not anymore. I've got other priorities. And somehow I know she'll understand. She'll find someone. I know she will. She deserves much better than one of those pathetic assholes. 

The sound of Dave screaming brings me back to what is happening above us. From the sound of it very unpleasant things. I still can't believe all the trouble they are going through. For me. I'm going to survive this. Oh yes I will. It reminds me of something someone said to me long ago: For peace we must go to war. And that's exactly what I intend to do. I declare war to the Saints. If they think they can just kill me like they killed my family and hurt innocent people..Well then they are dead wrong. A few moments later, I feel the elevator moving again. Saint's guys must have left. It's only a few seconds before we're back in my apartment. I try to stand and this time I manage to do it. I'm feeling a little better now. I look around the room and I spot Dave sitting in a corner. He's not looking good. Not at all. Joan leaves my side and runs up to him. A part of me feels sorry for him. Bumpo moves over to me and puts a finger to his lips and motiones for the door. I understand. Apparently they have left someone behind to guard the place in case I would show up. I think it's time for me to crash this little party. I slowly walk over to Dave. His face is bleeding hard. That son of a bitch has ripped every single piercing from Dave's face. Quentin.. He's a sadist. The man enjoys bringing pain to other people. Dave looks up at me, shaking a little. "I didn't tell them anything." He says. The sight of him and his face covered in blood makes me angry. Goddamn! This wasn't supposed to happen. They shouldn't get involved. Why protect me? I sigh and shake my head. "Why are you willing to die for me?" I ask as I can't understand. It was beyond all logic. I didn't act very nice over the past few weeks. Maybe it's because of who I am. They know that my family got murdered by the Saints. Maybe they feel sorry for me. But I don't need that. It was my family, not theirs. This is my business, nobody elses. "Because we're family." Dave interrupted my thoughts.

I stare at him. Was he serious? I didn't expect him to say that. For some reason I want to shout at him that my family was murdered. My wife and son rundown by a car. There's nothing left for me. And that's all because of some kid. A kid named Bobby Saint who got killed at an undercover operation. He wasn't even supposed to be there! It was an accident.. Nobody was supposed to get killed! And because of that my whole family got murdered. I look from Dave to Bumpo to Joan. And suddenly understanding dawns upon me. In a way we are family. Just look at us four. We all got our problems and we live in this rundown building, away from the big city, looking out for eachother, even looking out for me.. An odd family but a family nevertheless. I look back at Dave. I nod at him as I place my hand on his shoulder giving it a light squeeze. Then I turn to look at Joan. "Take him to the hospital. He needs treatment." Joan nods at me. "Will you be alright?" Giving her a half smile I say "Yea. Just go." Then, she and Bumpo carried Dave out of the room.

I look around the battered place and I spot an old papercutter. I smile mischievously as I move over to the machine. This will do nicely. I remove the huge blade and put it on my shoulder. As I keep a firm hold on it I stalk over to the sound of the footsteps. After taking just a few steps I can see the man pacing around in the hallway, awaiting my appearance. Well, he won't know what hit him. "Mind if I cut in?" I say in a low voice. At the sound of my voice the man turns around. I take one more step forward as I swing the blade down, determined to end this and all that's yet to come.

End.

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Author's note: This is purely based on the Punisher movie (2004) and has nothing to do with the Comic versions.

"Not revenge.. But Punishment." - Frank Castle aka The Punisher