When a cowboy's too old for horse-ridin' the trail;
When he cain't rope-tie with his hands;
When his bones creak loud as a rusty old pail,
and he don't sleep so well when he can;
But he cain't bear the thought'a a roof or a bed,
'Cuz he's lived all his life on the ride,
And he still got his health and a brain in his head,
And for sure, gotta a big dose a' pride:
Well, it's the chuckie for him, the cowboy gone gray,
And cookin' three hearties and more,
Grits, biscuits and gravy to start off the day,
and pork belly cuts from the store.
He'll cook o'er the fire in cast iron pots,
Makin' stew with dumplin's and steaks;
And the cowpokes will come to eat by the lots
Chowin' down what-all Cookie makes.
And he'll lie in his roll on the hard rocky ground
When his chores are done for the night
And he'll thank God in heaven he's still trailie bound
With the great Western sky in his sight.
A contest entry
- The Real West by Haygood.
1750 points, ended November 13, 11 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 7 of 7
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Ya don't hear much about the cook.
He was a big part of the cattle drive, keeping the men alive and all. He usually had some wisdom about him. And he don't don't talk sass from a green cow puncher. I enjoy the poem greatly. I always wondered what happened to the cowbows that couldn't ride anymore. Thank you for the entry.
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Great imagery!
I want good biscuits and gravy now ooo or maybe steak ----- off to raid the fridge..........
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Love this. It reminds me of my daddy for some reason. Maybe because he always loved the old westerns and we watched a lot of them growing up. Thank you for the fond memories.
Sharon
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Thank you for reading and the applause. My daddy always loved Western stories and movies, too, and when I was a child I thought my dad looked like Roy Rogers! I guess those early memories stick with us.
Lita
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Ahhhh ... the good old days, an excellent trip back to the Wild West, where men were men and women were very thankful.
I'm with Pat here, it reminded me of those days of my childhood.
An excellent read and all the best in the contest.
Sue
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great read
Reminded me of the old TV series Wagon Train -- or was it Rawhide? that gave Clint Eastwood his start as a cowboy. Always had a toothless old guy in the chuck wagon Gabby Hayes ? Ah memories your poem brought them back.
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