Working Cowboy Poem by norman hale

Way out there in western Montana
There's a young cowboy roamin the range
Studying about other young boys of today
How they're hooked on video games, to him that's strange

His day starts at breaking daylight
With breakfast and coffee, then he's on his way
He puts in a full days work before dark
Then he eats supper then it's off to bed, for tomorrow's a fresh day

He sits there in that saddle
Thinking of the young girls as well
Then thinks of his sweet betty lou
And remembers just how good she feels

Out there under that blue montana sky
His mind drifts all over the world
Always wandering what's in store for him
And if he'll ever settle down with his girl

His horse suddenly comes to a halt
And he soon sees exactly why
For there's a rattler there on the ground
And he shoots it without blinking an eye

He cuts off the snakes rattlers
And cooks up that snake meat
For some that might sound gross
But for him this is his bonus treat

He has several herds of cattle
To check on each and everyday
Helping some to have their calves
Yet also keeping the wolves at bay

His ol mustang horse is well broke
Unlike those running out in the wild
But, he's always dreamed of riding one
Ever since he was just a child

Suddenly he hears a ruckus from a herd
He rides over to find a calf being downed by wolves
He pulls out his rifle and takes aim on the lead wolf
He picks them off as easy as driving nails in a roof

He'll make camp here for the night
So he can tend to the wounded calf
And to bury those wolves as well
It's all in a days work, and that is no laugh

At one time this land was covered by buffalo
Now they are so far and few between
The white mans greed came real close
To wiping out every herd clean

It angers him to think of those greedy skunks
To kill anything and everything for the greed of a buck
But, greed never goes away as a whole
It just goes after anything that might have struck

He knows it will always be this way
Some get richer, while other struggle and strife
And reckons it will always be the nature of man
Until there comes the end of life

wrote 1/12/2010 by Norman Hale Jr.