The Progressive Rancher April 2008

Cowboy’s Lullaby
In the midst of the winter, ‘neath a sliver of moon
The north wind rises and picks out a tune
On barbed wire fences stretched banjo tight
By the fruit of my labor and the chill of the night.
The notes sound lonely, but before too long,
A distant coyote joins in the song.
And my heart is beating in time with the sound
Of my horse’s hooves on the frozen ground
I’m riding high where the eagles fly,
Where the Oregon mountains touch the sky;
Where the sun and the rain
Are the simple refrain
Of the cowboy’s lullaby
I’m riding high where the eagles fly,
Where the Oregon mountains touch the sky;
Where the sun and the rain
Are the simple refrain
Of the cowboy’s lullaby
The unfettered freedom of the northern night
Lifts my spirits and puts them to flight
Swooping down the canyons and over the ridge.
Life is a river and I am the bridge
From the past to the present and around the bend,
Here in the land that stands on end.
Where the music is magic and flows in a stream
Eroding the lines between life and a dream
The moonlight dapples the western pine
As they sway in the breeze just to stay in time.
And the horse’s hot breath in the frigid air,
Flows like a mane of ghostly white hair;
A million stars glitter above and below,
Like diamonds dancing in the fresh fallen snow.
In which hoof prints draw a line from where I’ve been;
And soon they will lead me back home again
The journey’s well worth it, no matter how long,
For I am a cowboy and this is my song.
I’m riding high where the eagles fly,
Where the Oregon mountains touch the sky;
Where the sun and the rain
Are the simple refrain
Of the cowboy’s lullaby
The night feels colder as I top the rim.
So I turn up my collar and pull down my brim.
There are miles to go with more of the same
But I already feel the home fire’s flame.
So a flick of the reins, a shift of my weight
And the horse is flying through the
spring pole gate.
The works never done, but that’s
all right
I’m lost in the music, I’m a part of
the night.
by Gaynor Dawson
West Richland, Washington,
owner Crow Creek Ranch, Enterprise, Oregon
www.progressiverancher.com
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