The Paper 013014

Page 1

Volume 44 - No. 05

January 30, 2014

by lyle e davis

As you may have guessed, I am fond of the written word. Words are those magnificent elements of language which, when strung together properly, can produce a sentence or two that conveys an emotion, a thought, an idea in motion; that can then be formed into a series then known as paragraphs, or, in some cases, stanzas. Last week’s edition featured one of the Masters, Mark Twain. This week, we look at a different gathering of words . . those that flow from the good ol’ American cowboy. Cowboy poetry is a form of poetry which grew out of a tradition of extemporaneous composition carried on by workers on cattle drives and ranches. After a day of work, cowboys would gather around a campfire and entertain one another with tall tales and folk songs. Illiteracy was common, so poetic forms were employed to aid memory. You’ll find all kinds of cowboy poetry - humor is common. Some very inspirational pieces show up regularly as well - others deal with historical matters, or the re-awakening of memories, both good and bad. One of the best known Cowboy Poets is a fella named Baxter Black. I would have to rate him as my favorite. Baxter Black is probably the most famous, and possibly the most prolific, contemporary cowboy poet. Baxter Black can shoe a horse, string a barb wire fence and play country music on his flat top guitar.

He was raised in New Mexico, now he lives in Arizona. Since 1982 he has been rhyming his way into the national spotlight and is generally conceded to be the best selling cowboy poet in the world. He’s written 12 books, achieved notoriety as a syndicated columnist and radio commentator. He’s appeared on The Tonight Show and PBS to NPR and the NFR. The Paper - 760.747.7119

website:www.thecommunitypaper.com

email: thepaper@cox.net

We did a cover story on him during one of the first years we owned The Paper. We had a chance to talk with him by phone and learned he was pleased with the profile we had done on him. A sampling of Baxter Black, includes this touching farewell: Good Bye, Old Man by Baxter Black

Somewhere deep in the old man's eyes a mem'ry took a'hold. It fought the ageless undertow that drains and mocks the old. I wiped a dribble off his chin, "Pop, tell me what you see?" "It's all the boys I rode with, I think they've come for me."

Cowboy Poets Continued on Page 2

Clockwise from top left: Paul Kern, Cowboy Poet; S. Omar Barker, noted Cowboy Poet; Baxter Black, probably the most famous and prolific contemporary Poet: Mary and Gene Adams, of Windsor, Colorado. Mary is the Cowgirl Poet.

Unconsciously I checked the door. "It's nothin' but the wind. You better try and git some rest, tomorrow we'll go in." "Is that you, Bob? I can't quite see. Yer mounted mighty well. You never rode a horse that good when we were raisin' hell." No wait, that looks like Clyde.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
The Paper 013014 by Advanced Web Offset - Issuu