Cowboy Poetry
Like old stories recited around a country campfire, ranch hands have recited cowboy
poetry for many of the same reasons. It's a Western art form. I hope you enjoy it.
AUTHORS SPOTLIGHT
This page begins by spotlighting the western authors who have contributed at least five
poems to the Rope and Wire website.
If you continue to scroll past the spotlighted authors, you will find many more great poems by authors who have yet to reach the Spotlight.
JOHN DUNCKLEE
John Duncklee is an award-winning author of sixteen books. His published
work covers fiction, non-fiction, satire, short stories and poetry. Prior to
his writing career, John was a university professor in both the United
States and Mexico, a cattle rancher, Quarter Horse breeder, designer of
mesquite wood furniture, and served his country in the U.S. Navy during
the Korean War. He lives in New Mexico with his wife, Penny, an illustrator
and artist.
Awards and Recognition:
$5,000 Unrestricted fellowship for excellence in poetry:
Arizona Commission on the Arts.
Author of the Year: Friends of Branigan Memorial Library.
Las Cruces, NM
Member of the Authors Guild and Western Writers of America
Spur Award for best western poem 2008
Western Writers of America
Read the western Poetry of John Duncklee HERE>>
ROBERT C. ATKIN
Robert C. Atkin Is a poet, song writer and performer.
Born and raised on a ranch on the Canadian, American border Bob has been writing poetry songs and short stories for almost 60 years.
He has performed in Europe on several occasions and of course throughout North America.
He has published 2 books of his poetry.
Wrote a children's book and donated the proceeds to the “ Dreams for Kids Foundation'.
He appeared on the CHUM radio network on a weekly basis and the CKLQ radio network on a daily show. He has had guest appearances on TV in the U.S. ,Canada, and England. He just finished a recording of some of his songs and decided after 10 years of retirement he was ready to get back on stage.
He has been a resident of Ottawa for the past 5 years.
Read the western poetry of Robert C. Atkin HERE>>
Poems by other authors below.
Wooin’ the Mule
Debra G. Meyer
I’s up to Ed’s one Sunday,
We was plannin’ on a ride.
I hollered at his barn door,
Then I moseyed on inside.
My eyes just took a smidgeon
To adjust to dimmer light.
I found that I was peerin’’
At a most engagin’ sight.
Read Full Poem>>
Cowboy Movie: Wild Bill Tames The West
And Wins Himself A Wealthy Bride
Gene McCormick
A whirling dust dervish was stirring things up
‘way out on the prairie horizon, a sight line
usually interrupted only by desolate cacti.
The cloud of dust headed straight for Dodge;
only one man had a winged white horse ‘could go
that hard and fast. One man dressed all in black,
hat pulled low across his eyes sitting ramrod
straight in the saddle…The horseman thundered
full speed up to the Red Dog Saloon,
Old Paint’s sides heaving from exhaustion,
eyes bulging, white lather foaming across his
scrawny neck and flanks. “Whoa, steady, big boy.”
Wild Bill swung his leg over the horse’s haunches
with deliberation, flipped the reins
around the hitchin’ post and slammed through
the swinging doors so hard they broke
from the hinges.
Read Full Poem>>
Old Bob
Bill Henderson
We was hangin’ all over
The limbs of that tree.
Harley and Jinks,
Shorty and me.
That bull came a’snorting’
From outa the brush,
Diggin’and chargin’
The four of us.
Read Full Poem>>
THE OUTPATIENT’S LAMENT—I WISH I WAS A COWBOY!
Sam Parry
I wish I was a cowboy, out ridin’ on the range,
Then broken bones and aching backs wouldn’t seem so strange.
I wish I was a cowboy, I’d spit Pain in the eye,
You wouldn’t hear me whimper or wail or even cry.
Read Full Poem>>
JELLY BEAN
Joel Bailey
The boys were sitting around the bunkhouse
One warm Sunday afternoon
Some were playing matchstick poker
One had a guitar and was picking a tune
Read Full Poem>>
Laura
Delia J Fry
the texas heat boggles
and the humidity drains
his body feels stifled
even though it rains
Read Full Poem>>
Horse Sense
Debra G. Meyer
“She’s strong,” the cowboy offered,
With a twinkle in his eye.
“I’ll wager she’s got bottom,
With no quit and lots of try.”
Read Full Poem>>
The Cowboy Life
Joel Bailey
The days are long,the nights are short
Theres rain,cold and heat
They're out before the sun comes up
And its dark when the days complete
Read Full Poem>>
Epitaph for an Outlaw
Joel Bailey
From the foothills of the ozarks to a street in Abilene
A runaway kid became an outlaw somewhere in between
Read Full Poem>>
Tall Tales
Joel Bailey
In days of old
When nights were cold
We'd sit around the fire
And tell tall tales
As the night wind wails
To see who was the biggest liar
Read Full Poem>>
THE OLD COWBOY
Joel Bailey
They all gathered by the bunk
Where the old cowboy lay
They had to lean real close
To hear what he had to say
Read Full Poem>>
Legends in the Sky
Philip W. Rider
This story's about two legends
One Red Rock, the other is Lane
A tale of how in rodeo
These two champions had gained their fame
Read Full Poem>>
The Tale of Docile Jean
by: Alicia Deets
When she named her Docile Jean, her momma never thought
That she’s grow straight out of her name, be burly and what-not.
Why, right outta the shoot she was anything but dainty,
Had folks for miles around askin “She is a girl, ain’t she?”
Read Full Poem>>
The Emporium
Mike Berger
The main street in our little town is only
two blocks long. It has only a café and
four stores. The supermarket carries
everything from groceries to car parts.
The feed store sells hay and corn and
some alfalfa seed. In the farmers co-op,
you can find anything from seed to
barbed wire. The fourth store is the
Emporium.
Read Full Poem>>
Any Way You Can
Mike Berger
It was the 50th anniversary of the
county rodeo. They were having a
nostalgia day. Cowboys and clowns
dressed in clothes from the 1950s
road in and waved to the crowd.
Read Full Poem>>
Dagger and Dicky Chet
Merle Roehr
The boys he worked with called him Dagger,
cause he carried a long sharp knife.
The old timers called him Dicky Chet,
cause they’d known him all their life.
Read Full Poem>>
The Patch
Debra Meyer
This trail that I ride runs on ahead,
Though I can’t quite see round the bend.
I once thought this trail everlastin’,
But now I’m aware there’s an end.
Read Full Poem>>
RODEO QUEEN
Mike Berger
The guys on the circuit were smitten.
The rodeo queen was the most
gorgeous thing we had ever seen. They
all wanted to ask her out, but she said
they would have to stand in line.
Read Full Poem>>
Two by Mike Berger
Busted
He was hard as nails and as onery as
a wild mustang. At six foot four and
265, you didn't give him any lip. He
could wrestle a steer with one arm
and spit tobacco a mile and a half.
Big Blue
He is tall with skinny legs.
Big Blue is as black as coal but
with a tinge of blue. His coat glistens.
He looks like he has stepped
from the pages of a calendar.
Read Both Full Poems Here>>
The Bachelor
By Steve Dickson
'Round about a week ago
I rode into this town
Had a drink of whiskey
Then I just fell down
Woke up in a dingy room
Next to me a girl
She was way too close to me
My toes began to curl
Read Full Poem>>
The Fastest Gun
By Mike Berger
Lightning fast would be a gross
understatement. He could draw,
shoot and replace his gun in
less than a second.
Paycooos Bill
By Mike Berger
Bill was bad,
mean and vile.
He stood just five foot
four and had a lot
to prove.
Read Both Poems>>
Lash Larue
By Thomas M. McDade
At age ten, I showed no mercy
To vulnerable willow trees
Clocking each and every bough
I never rested until I found
One with snap, span and sinew
To create an imitation Lash LaRue
Read Full Poem>>
The Outlaws
By Bradley McIlwain
I can hear the wind gently ruffle among the thicket,
stirring leaves between thick hollow cut graves,
whispering.
Read Full Poem>>
Hard Candy Cowboy
By Debra G. Meyer
He wasn’t large in stature,
Couldn’t tell it by his walk.
His bobwire eyes could cut you,
Had no nonsense in his talk.
Read Full Poem>>
He Roams Alone
By Allen Coyle
He roams alone down country roads,
And plays in small-town bars.
A poor young man raised on a ranch,
Who strums a worn guitar.
Read Full Poem>>
Miles From Minot
By Bob Moreland
Amber prairie grass bows before
west zephyrs, undulating sea.
Horizon endless, range adore,
just my dappled grey mare and me.
Read Full Poem>>
The White Blanket
By William Guthrie
I am dressed in my family’s finest array.
My body is tense, I feel I am trembling.
My heart is alive, anticipating.
Just beyond the spider-web shadow of a cottonwood tree
with a gentle spring sun caressing my face
Mother Earth blossoms before me.
I go to pray, draped in a blanket of blue.
Read Full Poem>>
Jesse James Poems
5 great poems by author
S. Thomas Summers
Absolution
And all seems fair to me
Jesse James
Livin'
Train's Comin'
Read Full Poems>>
The Saturday Trail
By Patsy Anne Bickerstaff
When I was just a kid, me and my pardners rode the trail
Long dusty days, to drive the ranchers' cattle down for sale.
We'd sit around the fire at night, spin yarns, count shootin' stars
And hear coyotes wail. We sang, to mouth-harps and guitars.
Read Full Poem>>
Gettin' On Home
By Tom Sheehan
I got me a mirror and a comb,
Gettin’ on home, gettin’ on home.
It won’t be sad, Momma’s glad;
I used a mirror and a comb.
Gettin’ on home, gettin‘ on home.
Read Full Poem>>
A Paint Cain't
By James J. Griffin
I was the new man at the Circle Bar J
Hired for roundup, I’d arrived that same day
Riding my own horse, my faithful paint Jed
An old time cowhand eyed him and said,
“Paints cain’t.”
Read Full Poem>>
If There Ever Was A Pair
By Tom Sheehan
Even though the cowboy’s free,
his horse will chart his destiny,
for if there ever was a pair,
it’s the cowboy on his mare,
Read Full Poem>>
The Yondering Man
A Tribute to Louis L'Amour
By William Guthrie
The Yondering Man ? the Yondering Man ?
look down the road,
here comes the Yondering Man ?
give him a place in front of the old camp fire ?
Read Full Poem>>
God Made the Cowboy
By William Guthrie
The boots may be dusty
and the heels all run down,
but that's just 'cause
he ain't had time to run into town.
His hat's all grimey from sweat
but he'll tell you it's the
best one he's had yet.
Read Full Poem>>
"1985"
By Rocky Georg Rutherford
I've just hit town not a penny in my jeans,
Been living on candy bars, coffee, and beans.
I been out on the road better part of a year
And what I been doin' just ain't no longer clear.
Read Full Poem>>
The Preacher and the Kid
By William Guthrie
Some of us thought we'd live forever
and some of us had a little more sense,
but we all went to Meetin' on Sundays
for the girlin' and surely not for
too much repentance.
Read Full Poem>>
A Westerner
By William Guthrie
A Westerner finds great pleasure
in most everything they see;
the deserts and the mountains,
both in perfect harmony.
Read Full Poem>>
A Rustlers Secret
By Delia J. Fry
They met at the town social
The rustler and the lady
She was too shy to dance
So they just sat and talked
Read Full Poem>>
The Dying Moon
By Rocky Georg Rutherford
Once upon a time a bunch of old cowboys would have their say
At a greasy spoon ouside Lubbock called the Dying Moon Cafe.
Calloused, gallused, withered, water-eyed in ass-gone jeans,
Each told a story of rodeo glory, big bucks, and busted dreams.
Read Full Poem>>
The Carolina Cowboy
By Rocky Georg Rutherford
When I hear the roar of the rodeo
And I see the fans rooting for me
I pause to thank those
Who sacrifice to keep America free.
Read Full Poem>>
THE LESSON
By Mike Gombas Sr.
About the flickering fire light
Children sat with upturned faces
Their eyes were aglow with wondrous delight
As the old shaman told stories of faraway places
Read Full Poem>>
The Last Dream
By Delia J Fry
Tumbleweeds roll past boot prints in the dirt
Footprints, staggering, searching for water
They are brushed and fly away like dust
The only evidence of the runaway squatter....
Read Full Poem>>
An Incident At The L. C. Saloon
By Mike Gombas Sr.
A persistent driving downpour
Transformed into a quagmire the roads and byways
Getting about was a soggy, unpleasant chore
For ranch hands looking for strays
Read Full Poem>>
A Line in the Sand
By Brad Fitzpatrick
Old Jasp and I rode into town
Behind a herd stretched half a mile
To sell them for the ranch boss
And we’d been on the trail a while
Read Full Poem>>
Cowboy Retirement
Harold Roy Miller
The aging cowboy watched the cattle graze
amidst the wildflowers all ablaze
and tried to come to grips with all his doubts and fears.
He sat back in the saddle and closed his eyes and pondered
and in his mind, he thoughtfully wondered
why he’d stayed a cow puncher for so many long years.
Read Full Poem>>
Rusted Spurs
By John Darling
My campfire's flames reach for the sky while
Carving out the safe haven in the desert night
That keeps the wolves from gnawing on my ancient bones.
Read Full Poem>>
BACON AND BEANS
By Lee Pierce
IT’S A HUNDRED AND TEN IN THE SHADE AGAIN
AND I’M OUT ROUNDIN’ UP STRAYS
THE SUN’S BEATIN’ DOWN WITH THE DEVIL’S OWN FROWN
ANOTHER HARDWORKIN’ COWBOYIN’ DAY
Read Full Poem>>
"Southwestern Sky"
By Delia J. Fry
Colors of the Southwest sunset
Peeking through the shadows
A beautiful pastel palette
As the Southwest wind blows
Read Full Poem>>
OUT ON THE PRAIRIE
by S.E. Hutchison
We buried him out on the prairie
He's sang his final song
But we carried his memory with us
As we drove that herd along
Read Full Poem>>
Only In A Cowboy's World
By S. E. Hutchison
Where do you find the summer so hot
It will melt your very soul?
Where are the winters so blasted cold
They take a terrible toll?
Read Full Poem>>
Shorty and Stubb Go to the City
by Dave P. Fisher
Now, Shorty and Stubb were a couple of real top notch buckaroos,
They’d cut their teeth on latigo leather and had long since paid their
dues.
Them boys never missed with a catch rope and could ride anything with
hair,
Be it outlaw broncs, brahmer bulls, or a dog gone ol’ grizzly bear.
Read Full Poem>>
The Eulogy
By Dallas McCord
Three cowboys died in a wild stampede.
It was one hell of a wreck.
Poor 'ol Charlie was stomped to death,
Slim and Buster broke their necks.
Read Full Poem>>
There Once Was A Cowboy
by C J Friend
There once was a cowboy in old San Antone,
His hoss so skinny you could see every bone.
Yet, faster'n lightnin' that hoss could run
He'd be in Waco by the settin' of the sun.
Read Full Poem>>
Cowboy Philosopher
By Norm Rourke
“Ever wonder why the nights are so clear
out here on the open plains?”
He asked this question with his face upturned,
While I fiddled with my reins.
Read Full Poem>>
Bad Road
By Terry Burns
Got to do 40 miles of real bad road
driving this wagon and toting this load
and when I get through I got me a windmill to fix.
Then I gotta lotta fence to mend
and gotta build a pen for the hens
and gotta fill the firebox with a big armload of sticks.
Read Full Poem>>
Bob Wire
By Terry Burns
I've got me a hold on this old barb wire
and it puts me in a mood to retire
every time I have to come and fix this fence.
I use all the words the preacher don't know
and yes I cuss this so and so
in a manner that just ain't common among gents.
Read Full Poem>>
The Kid
By Dave P. Fisher
She put him on the bus in Vegas, one way bound for her brother Ed,
To his ranch up north and out of the city, before he wound up dead.
He was bad at sixteen, a liar and fighter; he beat all she ever saw,
But it was because there was no man to guide him, the boy he had no pa.
She told her brother to work him hard, and teach him to be a man,
For she had given up and told him, “Do with him what you can.”
Now, Ed was a busy man, with no time to wet nurse a spoiled brat,
So he picked out one of his best men and partnered the kid with Pat.
Read Full Poem>>
Luther's Chicken
By Dave P. Fisher
Luther and the boys were loafin’ on the porch of Harvey’s feed and seed,
Discussin’ the weather and politics, and bragging on their every deed.
Luther and Evert was in a checker game when old Evert made a face,
And scolded the boys for lyin’ and braggin’, and called it a plum disgrace.”
Now, old Evert could tell some mighty tall tales and flat out windies to boot,
But he’d get mad when others told ‘em, so the boys liked to irritate the old coot.
He scowled at a red checker, “I hate it when you boys do that, oh it really gripes,”
Then calm as you please Luther says, “I once had a chicken what played the bagpipes.”
Read Full Poem>>
What Yer Worth
By Harold Roy Miller
My best friend Slim is a shiftless cowboy who would rather count sheep than cows.
When dodging a task, he’ll use every ploy to work no more than the law allows.
One Day we were hanging out at the local feed storeout of a job with no real plans,
when we heard the owner of the C Bar 4 needed a couple of full-time hands.
Read Full Poem>>
SIMPLE PLEASURES
By Stephen Gese'
A good steak hangin on the spit
fried tatters in a pan
brown dutch oven biscuits
cold peaches from a can
Read Full Poem>>
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