Turning Water

You noticed the other day,
How the lake water had turned,
Signaling the oncoming cold,
And how nice it would be to be at the bottom
Where it would be warm,

The sandhill crane hopped gracefully
Off of the waterlogged trunk of the tree
Where turtles sunned themselves,
Dipped the water with one wing,
And alighted on the other shore,
Eying the shoreline for a last meal
Before heading south,

I, too, have noticed the change in things,
And often stop now to rest,
And, like the crane, cool my wings,
Waiting to take flight,
Or, like the turtle, I slip off of the log,
And float gently to the bottom of the lake,
Where it would be warm.

The Ghost Chuckwagon-A Cowboy Poem

It was just getting daybreak out on the plains,
The sun was starting to rise,
The campfire smoldered, the wood wet from the rains,
And all of us cowboys hoped for clear skies,

A couple of cowboys were already up,
Ready to get the day going,
There was plenty of time for a full coffee cup,
And some of the cattle were lowing,

I filled up my cup and gave a good yawn,
Rocking back on my heels,
It was then that I heard out there in the dawn,
The unmistakable sound of the chuckwagon’s wheels,

“Where’s that sumbitch goin’” I heard one cowpoke say,
“We ain’t breakin’ camp yet,”
“And besides this here is the start of the day,
And as far as breakfast, we ain’t even et.”

I turned around and went where the horses were bound,
Out there in the remuda,
My lariat whirled in the air round and round,
And caught the neck of my horse, Barracuda,

Barracuda and I away we did fly,
To see which way the cook and his wagon did head,
But we couldn’t catch up no matter how hard we did try,
And my poor cowboy heart was suddenly filled with dread,

“Could this be that ghost chuckwagon we’ve all heard about?”
I thought as I kept on a’going,
Then I heard a cowboy behind me ride up and shout,
“There’s a storm,” he yelled, and just then the wind started blowing,

But Barracuda and I continued to fly,
With the thunderstorm’s wind at our heels,
And a Kansas twister came out of the sky,
And blew us right up to the chuckwagon’s wheels,

I jumped from the saddle and through the air I soared,
We were going a horrible pace,
And as I swung up on the wagon’s buckboard,
It was then I looked Death right square in the face,

So if you find yourself out there on the High Kansas Plains,
And the chuckwagon’s wheels you hear turning,
Make damn sure you know who’s got ahold of the reins,
Or for your life you may find yourself yearning.

Love Song In E-minor

I walk around with my head hanging down
My mind is in a drunken haze,
I just met you last week,
You’re face is everywhere I look,
And it’s no surprise to me
That I fall in love so easy these days,

It happened last year and it’ll happen again,
Sometimes I think that I’m my only friend,
I took one look at you and I knew,
My life was entering a brand new phase,
And it’s no surprise to me
That I fall in love so easy these days,

My pickup truck broke down on the highway
I had to thumb myself a ride
All the time you were on my mind so badly
There was no place that I could run and hide
You look at me like maybe this is some new dance craze
But it’s no surprise to me
That I fall in love so easily these days

There’s nothing else that matters any more
I can’t even have a good stiff drink
I try not to wear out my emotions on your door
I try not to ring you up, my phone is on the blink
I can’t give you anything but love and praise
So it should be no surprise to you
That I fall in love so easy these days.

The Dying Coyote

I dreamed I saw fields of red flowers
While I was riding backwards on a donkey,
There was a dying coyote lying in the road
So I stopped,
It was panting with eyes closed,
A young, healthy coyote with a good fur coat,
It had been hit by some vehicle,
There was no blood,
Only panting which blew the road dust away
In small clouds,

“Oh you compassionate ones, defend one who is defenseless” *

I pressed my fingers to my eyes to see the clear light
But it was not there,
The coyote struggled a bit then lay still,
I wanted to provide some comfort
But I was afraid,
I reached out my arms but they disappeared,

“Oh, sentient being formerly known as coyote,
The winds are leaving your physical body and you are about to
Enter the Liberation of the Great Awakening so listen closely.” *

The coyote opened its eyes,
I cupped my hands to my ears but I could not hear the whirring sound,
I leaned as close as I dared,
“Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Ah Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum,:”
I repeated until the small body quivered and was still,
The last breath blowing into the dusty road
I mounted backwards on my donkey and rode away
Gazing intently at the small brown body,
And the field of red flowers.

*Bardo Thodol