bzonnie and Clyde playing around. Image via Wikipedia.com

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Remembering The Poems Written By Famous Outlaws Bonnie And Clyde

Two of America’s most infamous criminals were also prone to writing poetry

Andrew Martin
6 min readDec 4, 2023

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Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, better known as Bonnie and Clyde, were a criminal duo who became world famous during the Great Depression because of their fast driving and quick shooting ways. The hardened desperados lived fast and loose, which led to their early deaths at the guns of lawmen. However, they were more than simply crooks. Both were known for writing poetry, with some of their verses still available for reading today.

Born on March 24, 1909, in Telico, Texas, Barrow grew up poor. As a young man, his poverty became exacerbated as the country entered the harsh times of the Great Depression. Like many others, he felt the sting of economic hardship, and it was during this period that he transitioned from frequent youthful indiscretions into a full-blown hardened criminal.

Barrow became a seasoned thief, who was quick to violence at the slightest provocation. His criminal activities reached a new level when he met 20-year-old Bonnie Parker in 1930, who came from similar hard circumstances. The two quickly became romantically involved, and Bonnie, captivated by Clyde’s charm, joined him on his criminal escapades.

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Andrew Martin
Andrew Martin

Written by Andrew Martin

Dabbler in soccer, history, investing & writing. Master’s degree in baseball history. Passionate about history, diversity, culture, sports, film and investing .

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