If you've ever been to a dude ranch, you know you're always in good hands with the seasoned wranglers who can help you find the right horse to ride and know just the right remedy for the sore spots when you get back. But, I was wondering what those wranglers talk about when those of us with tender feet and other tender spots aren't around. And when we look at them, do we really see the person or just our image of a cowboy? So, I put myself in their boots for a moment.
Dude Wrangler
Look at me.
No, really look at me.
Look through the mist of your imagination.
See me as I am
not as you’d have me be.
See me as a person, not a symbol.
Look at me.
See the calluses and fingernail grit.
Hard work for low wages and no benefits.
Oh, there is one benefit.
Look at me
Saddling someone else’s horse,
sharing dos and don’ts with forced smiles.
See me as I am
Not as I used to be
It’s difficult being an icon when your back hurts.
Look at me,
a saddle pal to new starry eyed wannabes every week.
But, when you go home to Starbucks and stress
I still get to ride where spaces are wide.
Jeff Hildebrandt © 2005
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