The Marlboro Man

I wrote this poem five years ago after watching my grand kids play at a park, and seeing what looked like the Marlboro Man. It came up in my facebook memories today.

I saw the Marlboro Man one spring day,

long and lean,

a bushy mustache adorning his bronzed face,

attired in black cowboy hat, chaps, denim jacket, jeans.

Was he sitting atop his stallion,

a Marlboro hanging from his lips?

Or riding at break-neck speed in a rodeo?

Or tossing hay from his pickup to his cows?

No, he sat on a park bench as children darted about a playground.

I tried not to stare at the handsome cowboy,

so weather beaten, so earthy,

so tough, yet

tender with a pink-dressed baby girl nestled in his arms.

Reviews

[Bhuyanshi Talukdar]

Your poem is a touching and vivid portrayal of a chance encounter with the Marlboro Man, a cultural icon known for his rugged masculinity and tough-guy image. The use of sensory details, such as the bushy mustache and the weather-beaten appearance of the cowboy, creates a clear and vivid mental image of the man. The contrast between his tough exterior and his tender interaction with the baby girl in his arms is particularly striking, and adds a layer of complexity and depth to the portrayal of the Marlboro Man.

[Shelley Warner]

Thank you Bhuyanshi. You've captured what I was trying to portray in this poem.

[Betty Hermelee]

you depict a lovely scene; one that surprised me at the end, but cuddly and warm, which you might not expect from a Marlboro Man.... vivid images of him and well chosen words.....I remember the billboards of the Marlboro Man, young and handsome always on a horse...but you portray him now as an older version with a grandchild in his lap..... a real polarity... of the same person....nice!!!
Best, B

[Shelley Warner]

I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for the review.

[FGFRANKLIN]

That might have been me out there. Oh wait, nope, you said "handsome". (laughing) But I still wear my cowboy hat, jeans and boots and I do have a rather bushy mustache. A young girl started flirting with me one day back when I was single and I told her. You're a sweet kid but my boots are older than you. It seemed to make her mad. But it was true. Maybe she was on the lookout for a "sugar daddy". Boy, was she coondogging the wrong tree. (laughing) I enjoyed the read.

[Shelley Warner]

LOL, that was a good line about the cowboy boots being older than her.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

almost made me picture Robert Redford in The Horse Whisperer.
Good to be able to still look good with age.
Do you have a cigarette?

[Shelley Warner]

LOL, no he didn't have a cigarette. Now I'll have to watch The Horse Whisperer again.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

that movie is certainly worth a second look, Shelley.