Hard Life, Well Spent

Cowboys herdin’ cattle cross dusty trails

Sandy hooves paint ground fog in their wake

Shuffling along swattin’ flies off molty hides

Riders amble aside keeping eye on their stake

 

Chuck wagon camps, setting up by a creek

Beans and pan bread cookin’ over hot stones

Coffee’s meandering aroma penetrates the air

Greeting men carrying saddles over tired bones

 

Ranch hands scout the waters nearby

Look to the sky to judge the night

Storms a comin’ as night encroaches

Coyotes restless, cries rent last light

 

Cattle dogs alert to changes

Nip the heels of stragglin’ calves

Cowhand slaps his rope while coaxing

Blistered hands and lips in need of salves

 

Cowhands sing to calm their charges

Bedrolls gathered near the fire

Dreaming of a trail once taken

And of their loves as they retire

 

 

Reviews

[An owl on the moon]

What a poignant, powerful dedication to those who live life to the extreme... a hard life.. yes... and they give their all. I grew up in a Northern California farm town and had the privilege of knowing some very hard working, deeply kind cowboys. So good to read your work again!

[Mark]

The cowboy, so crassly stereotyped in Hollywood mythology, has, despite that, always seemed to me to be the absolute epitome of manhood: a hard, dirty, exhausting and frequently thankless job, done without fanfare or even much money, just because it has to be. The benefits are enhanced spirituality, a closer tie to the wonders of nature than of any other profession, and mutually dependent friendships that have no equal on this earth. Read the works of Baxter Black and Waddie Mitchell, among others, to gain their poignant insights, and when I talk to them next, I will recommend this poem to them, you betcha!

[RSalassi]

Our great state, hell, our greater country owes a large debt to these originals. And, yes, they, too, were and are simply ....great!

[Valentine]

Makes one wonder just what it would have been like to live in those days so long ago..They had it so hard and still today we complain..funny? Valentine

[Tate Morgan]

Now that I relate to as once i had many horses and this wasnt far from the truth

[KAREN]

Nice flow and imagery! Beautiful piece of art!!

[cartera]

I love concrete images in poetry. Sometimes I feel poets overdo the abstract descriptions and batter the metaphors to death. Concrete pictures that fuse with the abstract are much more enjoyable to me. Well done.
ATB
Alex.

[Bee]

ahh... such refreshing read. Shows how hard life could turn sweet by dreaming and living in the comfort of loved ones... Really touching.
I would look forward to more of your poems. :)

[Ladysue]

this has perfect tone...you paint a strong picture of this life...a nice flow...good work...oh love the title...glad to see you... :)