A cowboy rode out on the trail one day
But the buffalo had faded away
No cattle to punch and none left to brand
He wondered what happened to this wild land
With Travis and Crockett and Bowie too
Defended Texas and when he was through
Rode with Custer at the Little Big Horn
Now his song is sullen and sounds forlorn
Fought with the Earps at the OK Corral
Brought Clantons to justice at this locale
Rode dust storms across the open prairie
Chased down Geronimo's fierce Apache
Drove herds of cattle into old Cheyenne
Wore spurs and chaps and leather he would tan
Slept under the stars, a horse his best friend
Built campfires to stay warm when nights closed in
Houston, Abilene and Dodge City true
Hung many outlaws and some horse thieves too
Lived by the code of the fiery six-gun
Winchester rifles kept gangs on the run
Dug for silver in the deep Comstock mine
Panned for gold on the California line
Rode a stagecoach into Albuquerque
Pony Expressed the mail from Saint Louie
Mapped out a new trail with Lewis and Clark
Two explorers Jefferson did embark
Climbed o'er a mountain in Colorado
Zebulon Pike exclaimed, "It's capped with snow!"
The Old West was a-blaze, a lively show
Now there is no place left for him to go
Off into the sunset he rode one day
In search of something lost along the way
There are no more ranges for him to ride
They'll never change how he feels inside
The cacti and the gypsum they still stand
The only remnants left of this brave man
Steel rails are rusty, no fences to mend
The cowboy life has come to a sad end
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Author Notes
Not intended to be a history lesson. Yes, the chronological sequence is out of order.
This Western poem is written in 4 X 10 X 10 X 2 X 400
4 versus
10 lines per verse
10 syllables per line
every 2 lines rhyme
400 syllables
Shadow Riders, by MK Flood, selected to complement my poem.
So, thanks MK Flood, for the use of your picture. It goes so nicely with my poem.
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