By David Amoruso
Growing up in his hometown of Ybor City/Tampa, Florida, Fred Shrum III always had an interest in organized crime due to the area’s Mafia background. As he read about the violence between 1922 and 1955, dubbed “The Era of Blood”, he penned down this beautiful poem about the gangster lifestyle.
“I wrote this poem from the point of view of a penitent killer," Fred Shrum III tells Gangsters Inc. "He's proud of his past until years later when he realizes the extent of what he has done. He wonders what will become of him. I want readers to understand that gangsters are not mindless - they are people too.”
Tommy Gun Blues
by Fred Shrum, III
I can’t stay in
I can’t get out
My heart is so hard
My tears become draught
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
Asked about the gangster he finds the most interesting, Shrum III answers: “Santo Trafficante Jr. fascinates me the most. He had most of the east coast on lockdown and yet was soft spoken. On his deathbed he made interesting remarks about being involved in one of the Kennedy assassinations.”
You can follow Fred Shrum III on Twitter and Facebook and visit his website at Fredshrum.com.
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