FOLK COLLECTION 11: The Skaggs Foundation Cowboy Poetry Collection

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First Roundup: Western Ballads

FOLK COLL 11 J-25

Dee Strickland Johnson

The Blind Cowboy

My days in the saddle are over, and I know that my cowboying is done; But I still feel the space; winter wind on my face, warm spring rains, and the hot summer sun. This big silver buckle means champion calf roper for some by-gone year, And my fingers can trace an old trophy's "First Place"- Team tying some rangy old steer.

blind, age, experience, memory, trophy

First Roundup: Western Ballads

FOLK COLL 11 J-25

Dee Strickland Johnson

End of the Day

Well, I see that the sun is setting, and quite soon the day will be gone,But it doesn't much disturb me, 'cause there'll sure be another dawn.

change, night, sun, season

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

The Bovine Baccalaureate

There are some critters whose brains are quite small. And some poor varmints have no brains at all. But if pure lack of intellect could ever be found, I'm sure Ol' Bossie would win, hands down.

mother, cow, calf, sense

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

The Rancher's Rodeo

The sign said Rancher's Rodeo, come one, come all to see. Bring the wife and the kids along, and the entries all are free. No standard events were scheduled, no bucking horses to ride. Just plain, everyday, hardworking folks, doing what they do with pride.

rodeo, chores, cheap

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

The Most Distasteful Chore

There are some jobs on the farm and the ranch, that just aren't much pleasure to do. Like cleaning out stables and putting up hay, just to name a few. But one task stands out among the rest, as the farm's most distasteful chore. And that's losing part of your livelihood to the earth forevermore.

chore, death, drown, calving

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

The Deal

We've all seen cattle standing, In the water up to their ribs. Cooling themselves on a hot summer day. But did you ever notice this?

cow, fish, flies, water, deal

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

Doubt if He's Ever

The fall of the year, it's round-up time. And we send those calves on down the line. Your labor of love finally bears fruit, And with bills to pay it's none too soon.

doubt, simple, difficult, cattle raising

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

Cattlemen's Anonymous

The old man's hands were trembling; his cheeks were running tears. He said, "I've been raising cattle now, for nigh on forty years." "It's okay partner, you're among friends, you'll get nothing but sympathy from us." So began another meeting of the Cattlemen's Anonymous.

addiction, cattle, work

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

Little Guys

We don't have twenty hired hands Gathering strays from all the breaks. Just me and my horse and a few closed gates, Are usually all it takes.

small, farm, herd, dream

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

The Mindreaders

Every year the old Charolais cow gives birth to a fine-looking calf. Sometimes it's a bull, sometimes it's a heifer; it averages about half and half. And when the calf is of the male gender a certain task must be done. Despite the fact that this old girl is mighty protective of her young.

trick, clever, cow, calf

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

That Ain't My Cow

My partner in the cattle business and I Were cutting and sorting one day. When he notices this poor old gaunt looking cow, Limping along and making her way.

criticism, mangy, heifer

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

Soil Samples

A friend from Southeast Missouri, Who farms the Bootheel's rich, black loam, Came by to visit last summer, And see our new farm and home.

soil, rock, sample, identify

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

Waiting For The Pear To Fall

Like a silent sentinel on a lonely hill, The gnarled old pear tree stood. Having endured the test of wind and time, Its fruit was true and good. And on any given night a fair-sized number of pears will fall. Till the grazing herd makes their rounds next day And consumes them one and all.

gravity, pear, fall, patience, trust

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

Baling Wire

It's been said that man's two most influential inventions Are the wheel and the moldboard plow. And while I don't dispute their contributions to civilization, I just can't accept that somehow.

wire, bale, mess, useful

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

Close Encounters (of the Bovine Kind)

It was late, one hot, July evening, Just as the sun was laying. When I noticed my cattle were covered with flies. So I decided to give them a spraying.

duck, calf, conflict, barn

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

Soil Samples Part II: The Rock Garden

I once was a student of geology, Through the roadcuts and quarries I'd scurry. But I really didn't know a thing about rocks, Till I moved to Southwest Missouri.

geology, rock, garden, farm

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

The Coyote Chase

I was giving my mare a workout, And checking on a field of hay. When we spotted a coyote in the clover, About a quarter mile away.

coyote, calf, chase

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

Weaning Time

The Fall of the year's upon us now, And it's time to make a decision. It's time to get rid of some of those calves, If we plan on making a living.

calves, winter, wean, noise

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

Agricultural Etiquette

There's a question that I'm often asked, By good folks who just don't know better. Though they don't mean to violate the spirit of the law, They're certainly guilty of breaking the letter.

question, polite, ettiquette

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

The Monster

The cow had been missing for several days, And still we continued to look. By truck and horseback where we could go, And then the roughest places on foot.

frozen, corpse, ice

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

The Great Coyote Raid

In the Summer of 93, in the poultry business, We decided to try our luck. We acquired a couple dozen leghorns, And a pair of mallard ducks. It was nice to watch them scratch and pick, Through the barnyard and the grass. Chasing grasshoppers and June bugs, And whatever else they could catch.

death, coyote, chicken

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

The Turtle Ranch

It was in the Summer of '92, That we bought our little place. And became once more contestants, In the agricultural rat race.

turtle, slow, herd

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

This Way of Life

I drink coffee from an old black cup, just before I saddle up. Then it's through the gate and out to make my rounds. A brand new day is dawning, as I try to quit my yawning, And I take in all the morning sights and sounds.

lifestyle, cowboy, place

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

Rats!

It was becoming increasingly evident, That rats were taking over the barn. There were piles of dirt from their tunnels everywhere, And they were consuming whole buckets of corn.

rat, infestation, barn, poison

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

Painting the Barn

Early once morning I found my better half out in the shed, And she was stirring some wretched brew. Rags and paint brushes were scattering about; I could see what we were fixing to do. Don't try to hide, she told me, and don't bother running, Cause you know you won't get far. The day has come, so just resign yourself to it; We're gonna paint the barn.

paint, barn, heat, chore