The western and cowboy poems in the archives are
from the books, Where Horses Reign. Sun, Sand & Soapweed and Western Images, which were published by
Western Poetry Publications (an imprint of The Resource Network) of Bothell, Washington.
The
poetry was inspired by a 1940's acquaintance with Badger
Clark (then Poet Laureate of South Dakota), my experience as a
ranch hand in the Sandhills of Nebraska in the 1930's and
40's, and a more recent opportunity to meet Sherman Alexie (a
Native American poet, novelist, and screenwriter). All of the
poems are copyrighted and permission is required to reproduce or
distribute them in any form.
The books are available through your bookseller as well as such internet sites as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Powells and Third Place Books. At the sole discretion of the copyright owner, free access to the digital archives on this site may be granted to students, educators, researchers, and selected others.
To request access, please click on the title or cover image below.
Bold face entries in the contents listed below indicate those poems which are on our CD, Where Horses Reign. The CD is available from the author for $8.50 USD postpaid to addresses within the U.S. and Canada.
Annie's Tree
Arbor Day (1872)
Black & White World Brahma Bull
Bull That Wouldn't Quit
Bunkhouse Ghost
Cancelled 'Cause of Weather Catalogs
Charlie's Blind Spell
Christmas on the Prairie
Cookie
Cowboy Musician
Cowboy Poet Cowboy's Color Box Cowboy's Teddy Bear
Cow Pony
Cow Town
Don't Let Me Forget Duck Tape
Global Colding
Guardian
Jim's Last Day
Lady, the One-Eyed Horse Last Cowboy
Longest Trail
New Feed Store New York City No Real Cowboys
Old Cowboy Boots One Man's Junk
Our Weatherman
Perplexing Questions
Poaching Slow Elk
Pot-Bellied Stove
Resolutions Retired Cowboy
Rodeo Metamorphosis
Scottish Cowboy
Tearoom in a Cowtown
Trailing North
Tom and the Devil
We Ain't Complaining Where Horses Reign
Why are Songs So Sad? Willie Stole My Gal
Advice for Cowboy Poets
Advice for a Greenhorn Antique Boots
Bent's Water Crackers Biological Questions
Blind Boone in Concert
Bud
Calving Season
Cowboy Gathering
Cowboys (First Poem, 1941)
Cowboys Never Lie
Cowboy Poets
Crouchmas
Dinner on the Ranch
Doc Middleton (1851-1913)
Don't Let Me Forget
Family Journal
Four-Letter Words Gender Problem Getting in a Stew
Going Home
The Greenhorn's Tale Guardian (Revised) *
Guitar Player Honorarium
Humiliating Things
It's a Bad Day
Lonely Lives
Lyrical Ponderings Ma's New Car
Ma's Suggestion The Magic Show
Marital Bliss
My Corn Shuck Mattress An Old Timers Prayer Our Flag
Out'n Back
Paniolo Patching Tires Poker Player's Game
Ponderin' on the Artist
A Prairie Christmas
Recycling
Remnants
Retired Cowboy
Riding Home Roscoe's Problem
Santa's Brand
Scrapbooking Sing it True
Snipe Hunter
Springtime on the Prairie Stormed In
Sun, Sand & Soapweed 'Taters
Three Seconds Time to be Thankful Tom and the Devil (Revised) * Tom's Long Johns Trek from Texas
Trail Crew Walls
Weird, but True
Western Sunset
Wyoming Gal
* These are revised versions of poems which originally appeared in the first edition of Where Horses Reign.
A Daena Ken
Bein' Wrong
Cadfael in the West
Cavalry Dreams
Charlie Two Horse
Christmas Blowin' In
Christmas in '05
Christmas in Quail Hollow
A Christmas Tale
Christmas Wish
Come Riding With Me
Commercial Signs
The Country Register
Cowboy Church
Cowboy Diplomacy
Cowboy Poet
Cowboy's Labor Day
A Day of Rest
Dinner on the Ranch
Doc & the Kid
Don't Look Too Close
Drought
Election Day
Festus, My Hero
Freedom
Gettin' Old
Good Critters
Goose Creek [Award]
A Granddaughter
Hand-Me-Downs
Hard Day's Ride
Headin' Home
Home Remedies
Horseless Head Man
I Wanna be a Cowboy Poet
Images of Evening
It Makes You Wonder
It's In The Book
Joker
Just a Writin'
Killer
Loquacious Loner
Makin' It Legal
Mama's Notes
Open Range
Poetic Traditions
Prairie Angel
Prairie Fire
Resilience
Rider
Rider's Block
Ridin' Home
Russell's West
Sandhill Seasons
Sandhills Beauty
Seasons on the Ranch
Soarin' With Eagles
Thank You
Thanksgiving Feast
Trails End
Alice
Along the Cowdog Trail
Bed 'n Breakfast
Bit O' Sod
Brandin' Day
Chicken Feet
City Life
Conkless Horse
Cookie
Cottonwood
Damon
Day of Promise
Deterrence
Do Cowboys Ever Lie
Drummers & Dreamers
Ego
Evening Winds
February 12, 1809
Five Senses
Follow'n the Brand
Goose Creek (Award)*
Hard Time Party
Heaven Bound
Historian
Horse Talk
In Lieu of War
In Tribute
Infinity, Eternity
Irritated Bulls
It's Bumpy Up Here
Joseph's Coat
Journey's End
Just what is poetry
Koshopah
Man's Best Friend
Miracle of Dawn
Moving as One
My Favorite Flour
New Dawn
Old Rogue
Old Time Soddy
On the Other Side
opPORTunity
Ough Beat
Our Land
Our New Milk Cow
Outlaw Blue
Penguins
Pre-Empted
Reflections
Restin' on a Hilltop
Rhythmic Ride
Roamin' Cowboy
Rustlers
Seven Verses for Stephen Covey
Shortcut
Spot
Treasures
Truth Whisperer
Visit to the Doc
Western Entrepreneur
What is Poetry
Where is My Heart?
Whispers
Writin' on the Range
* The award-winning poem, Goose Creek, originally appeared in the book, Western Images, which was itself an award-winner...the 2008 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Cowboy Poetry.