Second Chance for Bonnie and Clyde

Try to imagine what might have happened

If Bonnie and Clyde had escaped again

Given a chance to turn their lives around

Taking advantage of hard-fought freedom.

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If they’d just seen the glint of shiny steel

Spinning the car around on the dirt road

Would have been a fantastic getaway

Making them realize capture was close.

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Traveling on from small town to small town

Bonnie and Clyde planned to find a new home

So tired of looking over their shoulder

To begin a new life was their game plan.

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Bonnie and Clyde’s faces were so well known

A new start seemed an impossible task

Where on the map could they get a fresh start?

The calling they felt was to the Midwest.

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Picking new names from signs on the road

Creating a past from stories they’d heard

Now they were no longer Bonnie and Clyde.

Their new chosen names were Bill and Ethel.

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They bought some land with a house and a barn

Starting their week at Sunday morning church

Each day through the week was always work

To anyone looking, it seemed routine.

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Curiosity brought neighbors around

Bill and Ethel played their roles very well

They were easily accepted by all

Neighbors became part of their family.

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It seemed that corn was the best crop to plant

The first thing Bill did was hire some farm hands

He needed some help to clear, till and plow

Finding men who needed work was easy.

Something in the sky caught Bill’s attention

While working the land during midday sun

It looked like a bird with a great wingspan

He watched as it headed straight for his barn.

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Bill ran from the field as fast as he could

Not knowing where Ethel was at the time

He reached the barn just as Ethel came out

Bill went inside where he saw the barn owl.

The beautiful bird sat high in the rafters

When the barn owl moved, a paper sailed down

Wary of the bird, Bill grabbed for the paper

The recipe on it, he’d seen before.

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He smiled at the barn owl and tipped his hat

When he opened the door, Ethel was there

He told her of the barn owl’s unique gift

Ethel’s brow furrowed, wanting to stay straight.

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Bill agreed to wait for income from crops

When the crops were sold, money was still tight

Ethel knew it was soon time for a change

In the new year, their first child would be born.

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Bill went to a friend he knew sold home brew

He needed to learn the lay of the land

His neighbor explained how to get quick cash

A good “booze runner" could make money fast

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Bill and Ethel sat down and talked it through

They needed more money to build a still

A booze run or two would give them enough

But dangerous work in a dry county.

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A couple of runs went without a hitch

Their luck ran out on the last run they planned

Someone tipped off the cops and they were caught

Identities at risk they had to stop

The next step was buying into a still

Money was good from the corn they supplied

The main still owner was caught and ratted

Bill was sent back for months on a work farm.

When he was released, he built his own still

He instinctively knew which palms to grease

Their lives went back to normal but one thing

White mule corn whiskey now paid all the bills.

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Bill and Ethel were respected and loved

They created jobs and gave to the poor

Bootlegging was no secret to townsfolk

A matter of time ‘til the feds swooped down.

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Bill was again sentenced to the work farm

Bill and Ethel were scared to be found out

This time they really needed to go straight

When he came back home, he had a new plan.

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The money he’d hidden now had a use

The economy was causing despair

Local businesses were losing the fight

Most owners were just ready to retire

The first one he bought was the 5-Mile House

It sat five miles from the county courthouse

Bill had learned that booze would soon be legal

Giving the business more options than food

Ethel, it seems, was a really good cook

She loved being social as part of work

It took some time to rebuild clientele

Word of mouth spread and the business soon grew.

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The next one they bought was really for Bill

The Mayfair Club, just three miles up the road

A popular nightspot for the county

The live bands and dancing were a big draw.

Bill loved to tend bar and Ethel to cook

Life was not boring as they once had feared

Time was divided between what they loved

Now with three children, their life was complete.

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The plan to go straight had been a success

Bill and Ethel worked to build a great life

Their love had grown stronger over the years

Bonnie and Clyde now a faint memory.

Note: The parts of Bonnie and Clyde are played by Ethel and Bill Helfrich.

Disclaimer: This is not intended to make light of the life and crimes of Bonnie and Clyde. It’s a fictionalized tale that came about when I saw the picture of my great-grandparents and thought they looked like 1930s mobsters.