When I’m short on inspiration, in life generally but especially when I’m writing, I’ll flip open my copy of my grandfather’s cowboy poetry. For a rough old coot, he had the heart of an artist and could make you laugh or make you cry in nearly the same stanza. I recently read one of his poems that I don’t recall reading in the past. The topic was a perfect fit for this audience. It is about him and his friend Dean, the summer they were about 13, working for a farmer named Oliver, or at least that’s how the story goes. There's no crying, just a good laugh, exactly what I needed to get me the final push to spring.
It's the Finish that Counts
By Bill Ramsey
Now, hayin' ain’t what it used to be
When it was done by man and horse
And there was plenty of excitement
Oh, there was runaways of course
Now, one that had stuck in my mind
Was a long, long time ago
Now Dean and me, just a couple of kids
And a lot of things we didn’t know
But guaranteed, we did learn fast
Oh, we’d made plans to live awhile
And horses those old ranchers hooked
More than half were plumb dang wild
Well, I was helpin’ Ollie
A-patchin’ up an old buck rake in the yard
We was just a-gettin’ started good
Not workin’ very hard
He’d sent the mowin' crew to the meadow
To start a-cuttin’ hay
I figured they’d be plumb lucky
If they got any down that day
About half the mowers had a snubber
On a saddle horse to lead the team
And a safety rope from bit to double tree
A-runnin’ in between
Oh, them horses had their heads up
They was ready for doin’ battle
I knew all hell would sure break loose
When that mower starts to rattle
It wasn’t long till the show began
A cloud of dust a-comin’ down the lane
Clanging’, bangin’ and poundin’
It sounded like a runaway train
And in front of all that dust
Two horses a-runnin’ neck and neck
Oh, that mowin’ machine was reduced
To a complete and total wreck!
They tried to make a corner
To come up to the horse corral
But that mower hooked an end post
And a hundred yards of jeck fence fell
Ollie’s old Plymouth car a-sittin’ there
Kinda by the hitching rail
One horse went left, the other right
Mower tongue harpooned it like a whale
They both ended up right on top
In the middle of that old hack
One was kinda on his side
The other lyin’ on his back
They was kickin’, pawin’ and a-clawin’
Glass and tin flyin’ all around
They finally got the edges hammered
And then they rolled off on the ground
Circled the year, a-gainin’ speed
Saw an open side barn door
It was meant for one horse at a time
Now it will let in three or four!
Well at last, we got them cornered
There was things we need to do
Luke, unhook what was left of that mower
There should be four tugs; I can only find two
Now, them horses wasn’t hurt nor crippled
They had made it through right fair
Oh, that hide will all come back
And they can always grow new hair
But what about the driver
We took the old truck to go and check
He come a-walkin’ down the lane
Plumb unconcerned about that wreck
Pickin’ rock to chuck at gophers
As they went dodgin’ through the grass
Then he’d stop and stand a-lookin' up
To watch the birds fly past
“Now,” Dean said, “I ain’t hurt, just thirsty
And I’d like to have a drink
They must have run off with my water bag
At least, that’s what I think"
Says Ollie, “How’d that runaway start?”
As he handed Dean a cup
Dean says: “They started dang near even
Tell me, how did they end up?"
