Fall means roundup time, for cows and cowboy poets. Poets and musicians will gather at Wyoming's 4th Annual Pinedale Cowboy Roundup on October 3, 2009. The event is a community benefit, noted for its high-quality cowboy poetry and music-and for the most inventive gathering logo, created by the infamous poet and artist Pat Richardson. Check it out at their web site pinedalecowboyroundup.com. Among this year's performers are R.W. Hampton, Chris Isaacs, Jesse Smith, Jerry Hall and Trick Shot, and Andy Nelson.

Pinedale happens to be where popular poet, writer, and emcee Andy Nelson hangs his hat and his shoeing apron. Andy and his brother Jim also co-host the weekly Clear Out West (C.O.W.) Radio (clearoutwest.com)  from Pinedale. The C.O.W. boys are known for their hilarity as well as for the excellent selections of top cowboy poetry and music on their syndicated show.

Andy tells that the following poem, like all good cowboy poems, is "all true." Its title comes from a phrase in Curley Fletcher's classic "Strawberry Roan."

The Worst One to Buck

She chatters my teeth, and rattles my bones,
And she is the worst one to buck;
She squeals like a pig, she snorts and she moans,
And shimmies like an old feed truck.

She beats on my kidneys, bruises my spleen,
And is cantankerous as heck;
Runs away at will, she's ornery and mean,
And thrills in whiplashing my neck.

Why do I keep her? She pounds me each time,
I swing a leg and get on her;
She cost way too much, and ain't worth a dime,
Each ride I think I'm a gone 'er.

She just takes her head, goes as she pleases,
No matter what cue I give her;
She breaks plum in two, jumps, kicks and wheezes,
Jarring my tonsils and liver.

I tell her back up, she plows straight ahead,
Runs bucking and stirring up dust;
She spews out exhaust, and revels instead,
In flaunting her growing distrust.

With all her bad habits, her noises and smells,
She plain torques me off every day;
If I didn't need her, to clean my corrals,
I'd give that darn skid steer away.

© 2008, Andy Nelson, All rights reserved 
 

About the poem being true, Andy adds, "... that sonuvagun bucks and beats me up every time I get on it, I've never been on a more rough piece of equipment in my life..."

The poem is on the 2009 volume of The BAR-D Roundup, an annual CD of classic and contemporary poetry from CowboyPoetry.com. Andy's most recent CD is Full Nelson Shoeing, available for $18 postpaid from Andy Nelson, PO Box 154, Pinedale, WY 82941; www.copokepoet.com. His new book of stories and poetry will be published later this year.

You can catch Andy's performances at a number of impressive forthcoming events, including the Heber City Cowboy Poetry Gathering and Buckaroo Fair, the Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering, and at the 2010 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. See his web site, www.cowpokepoet.com for his entire schedule.

There's poetry and information about hundreds of cowboy poets and Western musicians at CowboyPoetry.com.  It's an on-going gathering, with continuous news, features, event calendars, the best in classic and contemporary cowboy poetry and Western music lyrics, and an e-newsletter.

The BAR-D Roundup: Volume Four CD includes poems recited by J.B. Allen, Jerry A. Brooks, Allen Clark, Ken Cook, Doris Daley, Elizabeth Ebert, Gail I. Gardner, DW Groethe,Yvonne Hollenbeck, Linda Kirkpatrick, Jo Lynne Kirkwood, Slim McNaught, Larry McWhorter, Rod Miller, Dick Morton, Jane Morton, Andy Nelson, Joel Nelson, Rodney Nelson, Ray Owens, Buck Ramsey, Pat Richardson, Randy Rieman, Georgie Sicking, Jesse Smith, Jay Snider, Gail Steiger,  and Diane Tribitt, with a PSA by Baxter Black. Learn more at CowboyPoetry.com.

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