The trail

Dornbrau gives us what she calls her first and last Cowboy Poem. Don't sell yourself short, girl. It's a gooder.

Here's more

Here's another. This one is a Cowgirl poem.

 

Sorry, that link appears to no longer go where it once did. I have disabled it.

Here's some

Sandi wrote a Cowboy Ode. Anybody up fer tryin' a Cowboy Sonnet?

Guess what?

It's National Cowboy Poetry Week. Yeah, this week! Write some Cowboy Poetry.

Another original fer ya

Cowboy Dreams

Gentle flicker hypnotises
Chest and chin attract
Like magnets

The door swings open
My new boots on the planks
Echo
Like gunshots down the silent street

Matchhead flares and sputters
Newborn flame flutters precariously
Until cupped by miniature hands

The little man reaches up to my cheroot
"What did you say your name was again?"

Tongue of heat wavering nervously
Attracted to the tobacco
Yet unsure
Until I draw it in

"I didn't" I reply
And turn away
Into light

White

Noise

And a sore neck in the moring

Traveler's Tales

Here's a local boy spoutin' cowboy verse. Neil Harding McAlister hails from Port Perry, Ontario. Hats off to you, Neil.

End o' the day

Calfs have all been caught
Beans are in the pot
Fire's makin' 'em hot
Saddle sores're what I got

National Poetry Month

   Just a reminder that April is National Poetry Month in the United States and Canada. Here are some National Poetry Month links:

http://www.poets.ca/linktext/npm.htm

http://www.poets.org/npm/

http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/k_2theme/poetry.htm

   And remember, April 17-23 is National Cowboy Poetry Week.

What the heck!

   I've already done John Scalzi's weekend assignment over here, but another haiku pushed its way through this morning. It belongs here.

spring is in the air
just a hint, the edge is off
now let's move 'em out

Cowboy Haiku; who'da thunk it?

Canadian Cowboy Festival

The BC Cowboy Heritage Society proudly presents the 9th annual Kamloops Cowboy Festival. March 11th-13th, 2005, at Calvary Temple, Kamloops, BC, Canada.

From the website:

March 11th - 13th, 2005 Cowboys and Cowgirls from all over North America will be pulling into Kamloops British Columbia for a weekend of western hospitality and entertainment in Canada’s original Cowtown!

Over the last few years The Kamloops Cowboy Festival has made a name for itself as one of the finest western heritage events anywhere. The stage shows will feature two dozen of the worlds best cowboy poets and western singers. There will also be open mic sessions, workshops and demonstrations as well as a cowboy art and gear show featuring custom made saddles, western art and top quality hand made horse gear.

As well, the BCCHS website has a cowboy poetry page.

Cowboy Santa

  I wrote this one in December for my "santee;" that is, the person who's name I had drawn in a Secret Santa gift exchange I participated in over at Brightweavings.

 

It seems there's some as gettin' worried they ain't bin serenaded.
It seems there's some as gettin' worried if they'd bin forgot.
I'm here to stem that worried tide, for one o' you at least.
I'm here to say yer gift is comin', to the McFillin in the lot.

Another cowboy limerick

  Penny sent this little ditty in. Seems there's more'n a few Irish cowboy poets in the group.

 

In order to avoid mishaps
One should never put on wet chaps
You'll be ridin' the range
Feelin' mighty strange
Cuz' yer 8-balls are stuck to your lap!


Thanks, Penny.

More reminders

Two upcoming events:

The twenty first annual national cowboy poetry gathering is being held this coming week in Elko, Nevada.

The thirteenth annual Cochise cowboy poetry and music gathering will be held February fourth through sixth in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Simon says.

Simian Farmer is prepared to match me haiku for haiku. Guess I'd better come up with some limericks.

Sandi's cowboy poem

Sandi's writ her own cowboy poem. It kin be found here. Thanks, Sandi. Any of y'all who might like to try it out, I'm a lookin' fer you. Send me yer own cowboy poems and I'll post 'em up here. Or write 'em in yer own journal, and I'll link 'em.

Don't get much abstract cowboy poetry

 

ridin'

            ridin'

ridin'

            ridin'

trail is strait and long

      ridin'

A cowboy haiku

  A short one. Just kinda popped into my head. Had to get a tumbleweed in there for Sandi.

 

high noon on the trail
tumbleweed goes blowin' by
dust gets in my mouth

Cowboy poetry (at last)

OK, folks. I know y'all been waitin' forever fer me to post up some cowboy poetry that I done wrote myself, so I set myself down and finished up one of the things I been workin' on. Here it is. Tell me what you think.

 

There's some as says that purple
Is the colour of a King
They give it a fancy name and all (porphyry)
But it's the same old thing

Now I don't know 'bout kings and queens
And other powerful folk
Or colours 'n things they used to use
To keep people under yoke

But there's a time of day
After all the herd's been seen to
And I'm settin' on this ridge
'Tween the fire and my lean-to

When the heavens that seemed endless
'Neath the scorchin' sun of noon
Are drawin' down around me
And the night is comin' soon

When the prairies stretch before me
And as far as eye can see
Not another human bein'
Is sharin' the world with me

As the sun gets sinkin' lower
To'ard the straight line of the ground
When the skies have gone from blue to red
And there's silence all around

And there's a single moment
'Fore it all drops off to night
When everything seems to stop a spell
When everything is right

I can hear the cattle lowin'
As the cold is gettin' higher
I can hear the beans a bubblin'
O'er the kindlin' of the fire

And the sky at just that moment
In between deep red and coal
Is a certain shade of purple
That reaches into a man's soul

Now I ain't got no religion
But when I look around I see
That someone's tryin' to tell me
That there ain't no king but me

Image courtesy of Dornbrau. (Also, I'm rippin' off her freakin' bandwidth linkin' to it here)

A reminder

  A reminder well in advance that National Poetry Month is coming up in April, and this year, National Cowboy Poetry Week is April 17th to 23rd.

  While y'all are awaitin' on me to post some o' my own cowboy poetry here, why don't y'all send me some o' your'n.

Canada has cowboys too

There is a cowboy poetry section at the website of Canadian Cowboy Country magazine.

Cowboy wisdom

Kepla has posted a list of Cowboy wisdom.Most of 'em are pretty good. The only changes I might make would be to edit out the ones that refer to ploughs or fences. Ploughin's fer farmers, and fences is sumpthin' ranchers put up so's they don't have to pay the cowboys no more.

A cowboy joke.

A dog walks into a saloon.
He steps up to the bar.
The bartender gives the dog a loooong nasty look...
then says, "Whatchawant?"
The dog looks around the saloon, turns back to the bartender and declares:
"I want the man who shot my Paw."

thanks, Loretta. ;)

Cowboy quotations

"Wish I had time for just one more bowl of chili." - Alleged dying words of Kit Carson (1809-1868) Frontiersman and Mountain Man

"When a cowboy has a chew in his cheek, don't slap him on the back." - Cowboy proverb

"A cowboy is a man with guts and a horse." - William James

"If you're a cowboy and you're dragging a guy behind your horse, I bet it would really make you mad if you looked back and the guy was reading a magazine." - Jack Handy