FOLK COLLECTION 11: The Skaggs Foundation Cowboy Poetry Collection

Scribblings

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38

Norman Edward Rourke

Artist (For Pomona)

She paints with colors hued of earth, Of things others do not see, Of vastness and lostness amid the space where winds blow strong and free.

Scribblings

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39

Norman Edward Rourke

Conquistadors

They conquered in the name of Grace, These men in helmets with blades of steel, Claiming all for Realm and Right, Bringing death and darkest night.

Scribblings

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40

Norman Edward Rourke

She Called His Name

She called his name, Hoping for reply, As there he lay; Surely he would die.

Scribblings

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41

Norman Edward Rourke

Christmas Comes in a Chevy Truck (Christmas 2001)

The old truck shuddered in the wintry wind As it struggled through the snow, A young couple huddled inside Knowing where they must go.

Scribblings

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42

Norman Edward Rourke

Mary's Donkey (Christmas 2000)

"Ella is sure excited." "I don't know what for. Here it is two days from Christmas, and you bring home a worthless donkey!"

Scribblings

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51

Norman Edward Rourke

A Cowboy's Christmas (Christmas 1999)

The night was cold and as dark as ten feet down a well. The stars twinkled like campfires on the prairie.

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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Laurance Wieder

The Searcher

Any man who'd burn his draft card Will also burn his bra. Thoe birds Who squawk loudest about justice Haven't got the sand to stand up

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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Laurance Wieder

Buffalo Gals

Hellow there, little lady. That dress looks mighty pretty On you, not the gingham But that way you fill it.

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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15

Laurance Wieder

Shot Down

I didn't want to act the goof For our guys who took the Sugar Loaf On Okinawa.

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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16

Laurance Wieder

Tara

Sunrise in the High Sierra, First light dents the summer glacier. A timber wolf slinks off.

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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18

Laurance Wieder

Kachina

The hidden grows. Those chants and steps, The magic circles the old shaman drew Inside the tent of skins

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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19

Laurance Wieder

The Classics

Spend over half a century In the motion picture business And you're bound to wonder About truth and power.

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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22

Laurance Wieder

Borderland

To the south, a cloudburst Slicks the peaks, here Heat lightning flickers

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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23

Laurance Wieder

Hello, Pilgrim

A little man might have to get A little drunk to speak his mind. A big man might have to get A whole lot more than drunk

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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25

Laurance Wieder

Hard To Believe

Waking up each morning With a million dollars in the bank Feels good, no argument. Lose the getting up, A hundred million doesn't mean much.

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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26

Laurance Wieder

Grauman's Chinese

Sid, there are no words For what it feels like to stand In cowboy boots, in wet Cement.

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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27

Laurance Wieder

Big Medicine

This poor excuse for a singing cowboy Never shied away from a woman In war paint, or a showdown, or a hoedown.

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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29

Laurance Wieder

Soundtrack

My music was the crack Of jaw against a fist, The splintered straight Back chair against a bar

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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31

Laurance Wieder

Overland Stage

Don't think back much To early times When shooting dimes Off tree stumps pleased The girls, especially Louise.

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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33

Laurance Wieder

The Needful

It's lonely off the reservation, Bad flats and white man's water, but better Riding out at sunup to a showdown with my nature

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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34

Laurance Wieder

The Letter "C"

An easy way to take off weight, But it's tough to sit up straight. Doc said, "Good thing You never were a dancer."

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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36

Laurance Wieder

Black Hat, White Hat

Marlene didn't like it when I rode Out of town any better than The others did. I liked her smell.

Duke The Poems as told to Laurance Wieder

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39

Laurance Wieder

Afterword

Just because a man doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve, people think he has no inner life.

Cowboys, Plowboys, and Country Folk

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1

Roger Ringer

Cowboys, Plowboys, and Country Folk

Travel, if you will, to the ends of the earth, All kinds of people you will meet. Each one has a story to tell And most will if you wait long enough.

Cowboys, Plowboys, and Country Folk

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Roger Ringer

The Gatherin'

There's not many places left today where history still survives...not relegated to memories...that with a person dies.