Dreadnaught

[Philatone]

hello mark! it's been awhile since I've made it to a piece of yours, and that makes me sad. in an attempt to make things right

A tumbleweed soft on the road
I was, when that shack of his showed
behind those enormous old pines
it sat where the old river winds...if this line could be a little more connected to the previous (enjambment could be a friend), it could be a little less forced. As is, this line smells like filler- the idea only stands in this line, and not the ones before or after, as the next stanza jumps to a "shotgun"

A shotgun was close by his hand
when I stepped one foot on his land,
he thought that I meant him no harm,
invited me inside to warm...always like a nice off-rhyme

So where are you coming from, Son?”
“Just passin' through. Are you done?” ...maybe just me, but I stumbled on the meter for these two lines
He stood up and belched out guffaws,
said he had once run with outlaws.

His face hinted that he must know
and no one could knowingly know....I'm fine with the repetition. I think you could even use this line as an aside and put it in parentheses if you desired
He wanted my trust way too much
so my hand shied away from his touch.

I spied his guitar on the floor,
When I first walked through his front door.
I felt of it's strings with my nails ..."felt of"? not a fan of the wording here
and soaked up the wondrous details.

He guarded the beans as I sat.
The chat rather quickly fell flat.
As quick, I was out of my chair,
he tended the food with a stare.

I aimed it away from the stove
so blood went away when I drove
the old box guitar through his face-
don't want all the food here to waste.

As soon as I'd eaten, I ran
as fast as a guilty man can.
The taste of his skin on my lips
and the flesh of his bone in my ribs.

what a story. could be an interesting bit of prose as well. at times, I think you were more worried about the rhymes than the story (to the point where it almost seemed to direct some of the action for me). also, I had a few nits with the meter. but I was entertained; definitely like what you did with some of your rhymes. hope this is helpful