I remember flying to LA listening to one of those music entertainment programs. This one was with a song writer talking about co-writing the Garth Brooks' hit, The River. As I recall, she mentioned that the meter and phrasing was borrowed from something she had heard. She just changed the lyrics. Well, I figured, if you're going to "borrow" you should borrow from the best, so I did. I took their poetic structure and added my own images. Not long ago, cowboypoetry.com posted a painting titled, "Born to this Land" and invited writers to come up with poems about it. This poem seemed to fit.
BORN TO THIS LAND
You know a cowboy is a dreamer
as he rides the shrinking range.
And he dreams of independence
he may never see again.
Trying to learn from what has happened
to avoid what lies ahead
as he works to keep the home place
and make sure his family’s fed.
And he will ride his pony
through the pastures and the streams
cause he says it makes a difference
and it keeps alive his dreams.
He sees God on the hillsides,
in the colors of the leaves
and it makes him truly thankful
for the blessings he’s received.
Too many folks have been defeated;
let their ranch land slip away
‘til the future they imagined
is cut down like the hay.
But he will fight against temptation
and with God on his side
he’ll sit tight in his saddle
and just enjoy the ride.
Cause he was born to cowboy,
He was born onto this land.
He’s a trustee of its heritage
and it’s here he’ll take his stand.
So, he will ride his pony
through the pastures and the streams
cause he says it makes a difference
and it keeps alive our dreams.
Jeff Hildebrandt copyright 2010
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