FOLK COLLECTION 11: The Skaggs Foundation Cowboy Poetry Collection

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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

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunalp

The Perfect Bull

I figure one of these days if I'm lucky, I just might own the perfect bull. A creature of the most impeccable qualities, Which I'll attempt to describe in full.

bull, perfection, specimen

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

Go Easy On Me

I was helping a neighbor at his branding, One hot and muggy summer day. The vet was preg-checking his heifers, To see if, indeed, they were in the family way.

chute, branding, vet

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

Rancher's Call

I know that there's some buckeroo types, Who absolutely disdain any type of work; That isn't done from the back of a horse That's done with the hands, afoot.

rancher, work, fences

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

Good Neighbors

A good neighbor's something special, That you just can't quite define. With often angelic qualities, That border on sublime.

neighbor, help, trust

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

I See

I see Spring in brand new calves, running, frolicking in the grass. I see nurturing in the purring mama cat, as she nurses her swarming, writhing mass. I see art in the salt block sculptures, carved by bovine tongues. I see contentment in the lizard, stretched out, basking in the sun.

sight, life, spring, creation

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

Christmas Calf

I remember vividly, the Christmas of '83; The land was covered with ice and snow. My then bride-to-be, had gone with me to feed. The thermometer said 10 below.

christmas, calf, birth, cold

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

Felt versus Straw

Now my brother-in-law is a true buckeroo, He's worked for some pretty big spreads. And fact is you'd just never see him, Without a Stetson of felt on his head.

hat, heat, humidity, straw, felt

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

My Hired Hand

I'd like to tell you about my hired hand, Who's been with me for some time now. He's not afraid of a hard day's work. He knows which end's up on a cow.

help, hire, partner, wife

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

Giving Thanks

I was hauling hay, one hot, July day, And as I dropped the last bale into place. I paused for just a moment, To say a little prayer of thanks.

gratitude, blessings, prayer

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

Airborne Equestrian Events

Now I ain't no rodeo cowboy, That happens to be a fact. To those who make their living with the rough stock, I'll gladly tip my hat.

startle, buck, mare, surprise

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

Steward of the Land

He doesn't plant from fencerow to fencerow, Like some of his neighbors do. He leaves a little cover there, For the quail and the rabbits too.

nature, manual, old-fashioned

Waiting for the Pear to Fall

FOLK COLL 11 D-29

Richard M Dunlap

The Land

I've heard the coyotes' symphony, On a cold and lonely night. As I huddled 'neath my blankets, From the chill but not from fright. And as I listened to their wailing, Their sad and mournful song. The night hours just seemed to slip away, As the darkness crept into dawn, Over the land.

land, respect, care, nature

Cowman's Wife

FOLK COLL 11 J-24

Dee Strickland Johnson

Cowman's Wife

I came out west in '82, I'd just become Jim's wife; we were young and sorta foolish, hut we were full of love and life.

wife, widow, cowman