Gunslinger

"I really can’t believe it... That you are really gone. I told you that it had to be, And now I’m here alone. I dreamed of years together And even then I knew- That I was only dreaming, And dreams do ..."

"Are you out there waiting for me-Over on the Great Divide?Mounted on your sorrel filly,With your gear packed up to ride?Will you help me chase a rainbow?Hook your wagon to a star?Sleep beside me on th..."

"I sit here over coffee, And I think about the past. Of plans we made by telephone I knew they could not last. Of dreams which quickly vanished- Like the sunlight dries the dew- The gentle cadence of ..."

"I really have considered- Laying down my pen. And tearing up my manuscripts- To never write again. The ink I use is sorrow... My vellum is my pain... I really think it better far, To never write agai..."

"I wish I had the words to say- The things I feel for you. "I love you" sounds so shallow, But, my darling, it is true. You have taken my heart captive- With your laughter and your wit... And knowing ..."

"I guess I must crazy, I made the fateful choice. And yet I sit and hunger- And I long to hear your voice... I once sent you a letter- Your reply was quite subdued. I felt so very foolish... And my ca..."

"I'm sitting here alone tonight- Another motel room. The ticking of my bedside clock, Loud as the crack of doom... The phone justs sits there silent. I long to reach and dial... Regretfully, I put it ..."

"I guess sometimes decisions- Are made for us by fate. Destroying our visions... With mocking jests, "Too late"! Sometimes the things we thought we had, All vanish with the dawn... As we sit and ponde..."

"I may be going crazy- My life is just a blur... I guess I finally realized That things aren't like they were. My home is in a turmoil- My business life the same... And a haunting voice keeps telling ..."

"Tomorrow I'll Be Home I rode out to the mesa, just to take a look around, And there a few miles South of here, I saw the lights of town... Why, I remember, pilgrim, I guess 'twas sixty-eight- Weren't..."

"He Finally Made It Home The vagrant breeze does stir his hair- That's now grown thin and gray. Caressing lines which crease his face... As though to wipe away... The hardship, grief, and worry- Which..."

"I threw away your number- And trashed your pictures, too. I did my best to purge myself, Of every thought of you... I said that it was foolish- For a man to feel this way. But I keep hoping for an e-..."

"Sometimes we derive pleasure- From all our inner pain. That's all right for the moment, Then you have to live again. I used to work wild cattle- Fight wilder, rougher men... I've made a lot of enemie..."

"I was driving down the road today- And watching miles roll by. The sun above was burning holes, Across a clear blue sky... My mind went drifting back I guess- To younger, dumber days... To back when ..."

"I cannot help but wonder what the future holds in store; It seems past indiscretions tend to haunt me more and more. Be it guilt, regretted folly? I'm not certain I can say- But I am haunted by it's p..."

"I remember coffee boiling- On an old wood-burning stove. While the cabin rocked before the blast- The winter gods did blow... I was young, my early twenties- Punching cows was my desire. There were v..."

"A cup of hot, black coffee- To stir my brain to life. I’d go to saddle horses, After waking up my wife. She’d be busy cooking breakfast- I was topping off the mounts. We would talk while I was eating..."

"I sat there, mind in idle... And I wondered what to do. Should I accept the status quo? Or should I write to you? And, if so, what is there to say? That would not be a lie... It somehow goes against ..."

"I was sitting in the bunkhouse- With “Sunny Jim” Malone... Outside the rain was falling, And we both were far from home. Early Sunday morning, The coffee strong and black, I said, “It’s better settin..."

"I was an outlaw and a killer. But that was long ago... Now the years and my arthritis- Have combined to make me slow... I grew up in West Texas- With the sagebrush and the sand- And wandered that wil..."

"It’s Good To Be Alive Wake about five-thirty- Shower, shave, put coffee on... Load up my Suburban... Then by eight I’m always gone. To roll down Texas highways, Watch the miles go rolling by... I’ve..."

"I somehow can identify, With your need to flee... On more than one occasion- Has the urge come over me. But there are those who need you, In you they’ve found a stay, A smile, and word of kindness To..."

"There’s a sense of loss upon me. Maybe you could call it dread. There’s an element that’s missing, Leaving pain and loss instead... There’s no longer expectation- Nor the hope of future bliss, I have..."

"Some men aren't meant for marriage, And I suppose that's me. It's sad that twenty years ago, This truth I could not see. Twenty-eight and counting... And what have I to show? But bitterness, hurt fe..."

"I was sitting in my pickup, Just watching cars go by. My mind began to wander, I began to question, "Why?" I thought of Arizona- The sage brush in the spring; Of coffee on an open fire, The song, coy..."

"I slept last night in Houston- And I liked those city lights. But I recall the starry skies, Of Arizona nights. Coyotes’ eerie howling- Out around the Mogollon... The big cats softly prowling Now I ..."

"I rolled into Cowtown- Feeling pretty low. I’d mailed ahead my entries- To the Fort Worth rodeo. I checked into a Motel 6- Old Tom left on the light... To try and catch me forty winks, I have to ride..."

"I'm sitting here, just thinking- Wishing I could turn back time. Maybe twenty years or so, When I was in my prime. You were rather young then- But that would be okay, I think I'd try to win you- And ..."

"I took the time to contemplate- And finally realized... That showing my emotions, Is not exactly wise. There's no hope for the future- Nor solace from the past... And not a thing that might occur, Wi..."

"I've really been quite foolish, With my words to touch a heart. Inflicting pain and longing, And to do so isn't smart. A gift of words should never harm- Yet mine have brought much pain. And in consi..."

"To write, or remain silent? I ponder more and more... And wonder what new pain, or grief My writing holds in store. For writing makes the feelings real- It has more life than art, For words indeed, a..."

"By request, with pen in hand- I sit, I muse, alone- Then write of lost, exotic lands Forgotten, dried-out bones. Of kingdoms long since turned to dust And souls that long since fled... And ask you if..."

"The Softly Falling Rain The fog in San Francisco, Comes rolling from the Bay. To bring to dreamers visions, Of  kingdoms far away. Where virgins still are waiting_ And dragons to be slain... You can..."

"Some people say we're foolish To while away our time... Dwelling on our daydreams- And jotting down our rhyme. What purpose serves the poet? What profit is the sage? Why friend, we are, have always b..."

"A Million Years Ago  2-21-02 Looking at the raindrops, On my windshield as I drive... I wonder where I'm going, What awaits when I arrive? I wonder what the future... If there be one, holds in store..."

"I walked up to a saddle- At a yard sale yesterday And as I reached to touch it, The years all fell away. My mind went back a lifetime, To when I rode the range... I almost bought the saddle... And I ..."

"Tale 58 Ho, Miss, 'twill tarry for a bit? I'd swear I ken yer face. Ye move like creatures o' the wild- Such delicacy an' grace... Aye, I wou' vow we met before- But when? Ah, 'tis to ponder... For ..."

"I loaded up my saddle- And went to get my check... I'd barely made my entries back, My pickup was a wreck. My Wrangler jeans were threadbare- My boots both needed soles- I had some pasteboard stuffed..."

"I thought about you all day long, And well into the night. And pondered conversations, And if you’d taken flight… So fly away my angel- And soar to lands unknown. And think about this cowboy… After y..."

"I sit here on this narrow bunk- And think about the past. And gaze upon the untouched meal, They gave me as my last. I never thought ‘twould come to this. A man condemned to die… All I can do is pace..."

"Coins dropped in the pay phone- Make a lonely sound. Calling home to check on things. After the last go-round. I finished in the money... Just barely so it seems... Instead of eating steak tonight......"

"If you would only give me time I’d fall in love with you. You tell me that you like my rhyme, I hope that it is true. I am an aging cowboy- In the sunset of his life... My children are all nearly gro..."

"Our communications, have broken down it seems- You wish to dwell in darkness, with regrets and broken dreams. There’s nothing I could offer, that you could call your own- Perhaps you’re realistic, and..."

"Please don't let me fall in love. Don't let me hurt again. I am a fool to Cupid's tools- His arrows bring such pain. You say my words effect your heart- But you could never know... Each gentle word y..."

""Chances Missed..." If I would let you love me, I really think you would. I wish that I could drop my guard- I'd like to if I could. But the wall which stands between us, Took years for me to build...."

"Ah, lass, I pray thee, 'ave a seat- Me discourse? lemme see... P'raps the thing to speak upon, Wou' be philosophy.... Aye! Tha' wou' be me guess, indeed- The workings o' the mind... To delve it's cre..."

"Your number never answers- I merely hear your voice... With the standard message, And the standard choice... “I’m sorry I’m not home right now- But I’ll return your call”. I sadly leave my message- Th..."

"There’s a thousand miles of highway- Between me, and my next show… And people often ask me- “Why do you rodeo?” I take the time to contemplate- Then what I say is true… I grin, and shrug, and scuff m..."

"When it comes to shattered love affairs- They always end the same- It really doesn’t matter, Who’s at fault, or who’s to blame. The pain is no less bitter, If a person’s right or wrong- The tears are..."

"To Unknown Cowboys Faded Wrangler denim, Greasy Stetson hat... A trophy buckle, won in Abilene. Now he's crowding fifty- And getting kind of fat- The only gold he wins is in his dreams. Another worn..."

"I thought about the years I spent- Out on the open road. When roadside parks, and culverts Were the place of my abode. When meals were few and far between- But miles were nearly free... And rodeo, go..."

"I've been thinking lately- I had to ask myself... Is there any hope for us? Or, what do we have left? I guess that we've used all the words Explaining how we feel... I've asked myself, I'm asking you..."

"I thought about my feelings- Then I tried to sort them out. To put my thoughts in order... Find out what life's all about. Was what we, lightly, once called love- A real and lasting thing? Or was it ..."

"I guess I rode too many trails- Too many bridges burned... Too many wrong decisions made- Too much I haven't learned. Too many times I thought I've loved- To find that I was wrong. The trail that I a..."

"Would you tell me that I'm crazy- If I told you of my dream? Just the two of us together- By a sparkling, mountain stream... Exploring our emotions... Letting every thought unwind- Is it duty, or dev..."

"When pressures overwhelm me- In the darkness of the night... No friends to share my burdens- My escape is when I write... I write of things that I have seen, And places I have been... And days that I..."

"* That is not what I meant at all Nor thought to see a teardrop fall… Alas, I find my tongue too sharp- Too prone to criticize and harp. I meant no harm, and that is true- More so to such a one as yo..."

"The rain against my window- Is a melancholy sound… My book is growing boring, And the one escape I’ve found- Is take out a pad and pencil- Put on the coffee pot, Then let my mind soar backward To the..."