Cowboy Poetry
The Old Cowboy
Author James H. Wilson
September 27, 2000
© Copyright 2000
THE OLD COWBOY Part Three
(continued)
“It was late afternoon, warm , breezy, just a couple a small clouds out. . .” (he thinks, rubbing his stubble covered chin) “in the western sky. Tanner and me’d seen these two calves playin’ when we was bringin’ the herd by this ravine , an’ off they went. Right up that ravine like they was shot from a cannon.
Them critters took off on a flat out dead run. They disappeared so fast, it left me wonderin’ if I’d seen what I thought I’d seen, but not to wonder long. No sir, that ‘Tanner’ took off up that draw like a bullet himself. Like he knew something I didn’t. Like he knew just how the ravine twisted and turned. We went left. We went right. We jumped right over some of that sage brush.
He headed up that slope on the right. Nearly straight up , I held on for ‘dear life’. His stride lengthened. He nearly lost me on top that ravine. I was holdin’ the reigns with my right hand and my hat with my left. He was jumpin’ over them little washout ruts really fast. So fast, UP... DOWN... I could 'a been ridin a saddle bronk. I certainly felt like I was goin’ for ‘All Around Cowboy’!
Twenty Two and wonderin’ if I would see Twenty Three. We got about a mile off, when that ‘ol ‘Tanner’ jumped off the side of the side of that ravine, (seemed like about thirty feet down), and turned toward the herd and stopped. . . .
I was catching my breath when them critters come trottin’ out behind some bushes. Needless to say, I slept real good that night.
Then I remember a couple of nights later . . . . . . . .
To Be Continued . . .
THE OLD COWBOY Copyright © 2001
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