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.
The Cowboy Poetry and Western Verse section begins by spotlighting the western authors who have contributed at least five poems to the Rope and Wire website. Click on the authors name to read the poems for that author.
If you continue to scroll down, you will find many more great Cowboy Poetry by authors who have yet to reach the Spotlight.
Wire
Wire
George Rhoades
They rolled him out into the sun
By the wall at the nursin’ home;
His mind wandered and he babbled
About old days bein’ free to roam
A Cowboy's Way
A Cowboy's Way
Wayne Brown 2012
Orange and blue sky of morning slowly crawls over the ranch
As the bright sunlight of day begins it slow westward dance
The boys have long left the bunk; starting their day
We work sun up to sundown…it’s a cowboy’s way
There’s doggies in the high ground hidin’ in the draw
There are horses that need tendin’; their backs all raw
Cowboyin’ is a lot of work and there ain’t too much pay
But that’s alright, we like it…it’s a cowboy’s way
Rustlers On The Trail
Rustlers On The Trail
By: Wayne Brown 2013
The rustlers hit us once again late last night
Took a few more head then stole from sight
If this keeps up at this rate along this ol’ trail
We’ll make it up to Abilene with no herd to sell
The Fence Mender
The Fence Mender
Jeff Hildebrandt
Fresh Snow…
Undisturbed…
except by the horse tracks behind him
and the sagebrush,
like polka dots on a bed sheet,
stretching to the mountains ahead.
He’s alone but far from lonely
as he rides up through the snow
along a sagging fence line
with the valley down below.
Pausing where the wire is down
this old fence mender looks around
to see if he can find a clue
of just what critter busted through.
Last Cattle Drive
Last Cattle Drive
Jeff Hildebrandt
This is true. I’m sure it is. The story was reported
widely on the internet. So, the facts were not distorted.
Change
Change
Jeff Hilderbrandt
The owner of the J bar H had supper with the crew
and later told the foreman, “There’s something you must do.
I’ve noticed quite a pungent and unpleasant sorta stink
coming from the bunkhouse. So this is what I think;
If the men would change their underwear more often than they do
the place would smell much better. Now, I’ll leave it up to you.”
So, the foreman told the wranglers, “The boss thinks you guys stink
and says to change your underwear. So this is what I think;
Amos and the Preacher
Amos and the Preacher
Freedom Ahn Chevalier
In a rusty old pick-up, he rides across the country
With a dollar tucked in his shoe, and a dream in his heart
His faithful companion is a dog called Amos Andy
Always there by his side, because the crowds no longer come
So Amos and the Preacher make camp for the night
The Old Pony Peter is Now Gone (a Villanelle)
The Old Pony Peter is Now Gone (a Villanelle)
James G. Piatt
The old pony Peter is now gone
There ain’t nothing more to say
For 33 years, he trotted happily along.
He was a feisty pony, like in the song,
He was even a jumper, in his own way, but
The old pony Peter is now gone.
He won’t be around among the throng,
To eat his rolled oats and alfalfa hay
For 33 years, he trotted happily along.
Cowboy Heart
Cowboy Heart
By George Rhoades
The old man gripped a cane
With gnarled and wrinkled hands,
Sat down beside me there
In the rodeo arena stands.
Longhorn Swath
Longhorn Swath
Neal Dachstadter
The Handsome Angus, Hereford Gent,
And deftly crafted breeds were meant
For gentle dell and verdant land
Where thick's the grass, and poised the stand
