Song of a ‘Usta-Be’
First on the bronc…first outta the gate.
I’d take the first marks, let the others come late,
and I’d still be on top when they finished their eight,
‘cause, once, I tell you, Man…I was somethin’!
I could stand with the best, and show marks that were high…
I’d turn in a ride that made all the pros cry!
Now the kids, they just laugh, and I can’t call it a lie
when they tell me, “shit, Man…you ain’t nothin’!”
Washed up and broken. Barely able to walk
And arms that won’t rise to the fight…they just balk.
I can’t walk it, so why bother talkin’ the talk?
Just what I am now, I can’t figger.
I sit starin’ at this old buckle I won…
last thing that’s left me of all that I’ve done.
Last night I nibbled the sights of my gun
but no balls to pull on the trigger.
So this is the ballad of one old has-been
with only a love, now, that’s left him to win
and cryin’ like this, yeah, it must be a sin
with that much in the pot, you don’t fold!
But what have I got, now, that’s left me to give?
See, God only gave me this one life to live.
There’s so much I’ve done even I can’t forgive
And the tale’s just got too god-damned old!
© MMII by eric lee
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 9 of 9
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NEVER look into THAT mirror sober! My gut tightened at this imagery - coz you're that good a poet? Or, like the broken down ole redneck in the words and lines, coz I'm that old a guy with that much mileage on the clock with a lot of it driven over rough ground? You decide. Good work kiddo... REALLY good. Mike
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I like the image I get of the speaker. I see it being thought up while waking up in the morning and washing the face (or brushing teeth). Yeah, that's random, but I get that feeling, and it makes it seem personal. That said, it's probably completely batsh*t wrong, but it is interesting to see the speaker, and also get an image of the author.
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Damn! Bull riders kick ass!! I love that movie 8 Seconds. It's brutal, but its beautiful. But truly, this poem was heartbreaking. The rhymes were flawless and the last two lines are wrenchingly powerful. Great poem!
WRITE ON!
~*~SP~*~
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Yeah, bull-riders kick ass...but I'm crazy, not suicidal; I rode bronc.
(okay, I rode a bull. Once.)
You takin' a walk through my stuff, Jess? Glad you're enjoyin' it!
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Cowboys never get old.. I firmly believe that.
John Wayne still lives too.
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Spectacular
I detected sadness and regret in not being able to be a bronc buster anymore. Plus getting no appreciation or respect in what the speaker of this poem did. The title is perfect - great description. One becomes too old to continue doing what one lived for. Makes me appreciate being young. I loved this, but that is no surprise.
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Well, yeah...but you're biased.
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I aint sayin' nothin'!
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:-)
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