Campfires and Cowboys
by Ed Keenan, our
Cow Chip Poetry Poet
 

Cowboys are drawn to the open range            
By some unrelenting force
They jus simply will not stay inside
If they can be upon their horse

And they keenly appreciate the ritual
Of settin around a campfire
‘Chewin the fat’ and recallin things
Like who’s the biggest liar

Sharin thoughts of past or present
Of good times or the strife
Takin memory trips by storytellin
Enriches a cowboy’s life

Draggin in the firewood and kindlin
When it’s stormy or it’s not
Stirs a cowboy up to lend a hand
And share in plight or plot

That’s where the camaraderie happens
And the evenin rest begins
When a cowboy tells of life’s events
Like his glories and his sins

At times the campfire mood is mystic
Windies dancin on flames
And hours spent in a campfire glow
Is why a cowboy never tames

His flashbacks may come pourin out
Embellished a bit or sad
How he left home with sister cryin
Or about his mean ol’ Dad

Or maybe a whole evenin of ribaldry
Funnin and cowboy chidin
That eases the strain of his lonely life
And all his hard day’s ridin

Each campfire that a cowpoke shares
Has it’s own special difference
There may not be much said at times
But a lot of shared experience

Like when me and my workin pardner
Worked too long in a blizzard
A’tryin to move them white face out
‘Til we were frozen to the gizzard

When we finally looked up at each other
We knew we were in trouble
If we didn’t get warm in a real hurry
They might be buryin’ double

Just barely startin a bone-thawin fire
And huddlin over the flames
Brought us back from the edge of dyin’
From the ache of freezin pains

Not much was said with feelins heavy
But respect grew for each other
Bringin each other back from danger
Bonded us like a brother

Now it’s one of them campfire windies
Pard tells when he’s in camp
How the blizzard blew and the Devil knew
He’d be puttin out our lamp

How we cheated him out of his deadly plan
With not even a match or stick
By makin lighter fluid from fire water
Usin an old Indian trick