the facts are
stark
calves carcasses found
near the barbwire fence-line
grizzly bear tracks
everywhere
mother cows terrified
one cow badly slashed
area ranchers up in arms
fires warm weather
all conditions conspire to
make calf meat a worthwhile
consideration to appease an
empty ursine stomach
especially of a bear rogue enough
to make his own luck
a solitary bear
obtains legendary status of
roving rogue menace
when he continually
puts calves and livestock
on his menu
one fed-up rancher calls in
an unemployed cowboy
who is his former ranch foreman
man with long range rifle
no immediate prospects
will be hired to hatch a plan
to dispatch with the calf-eating devil
the bear needs to be sent
home to the happy hunting grounds
in the sky or down to Charon
so he can cross over into Hell
where he belongs
the rancher is loosing
his livelihood
not to mention
his precious sleep at night as well as thoughts of
retirement not looking like a good possibility
any time soon
as long as this continues
meanwhile
the brute has even grown bolder
he's working over
the quarter horses as well
worrying their nerves
they've been pacing back and forth
in their stalls
bear signs are found
all around the horse barns and
the corals almost every morning
the older horse
the blind friend of the cowboy
knows better than all of the other horses
what is going on
he is nearly lame
in pain
he senses his time is near an end
but lately
he is comforted by the returned smell
of the old friend who once rode him
and he remembers how they worked together
the memories are a ccomfort
until one day he is led to the fence line
fed
patted down
talked to gently in one ear
the old horse
hears the footfall of his friend
gingerly walk away
in the distance he hears too
the padded tread of the grizzly
his nostrils widen as he whinnies in fear
the cowboy takes a shot
and the old lame horse crumples to his knees
in the near distance in his rifle scope
he sees a large flash of brown streaking forward
and he pulls the trigger again
tears streak the old cowboy's face
"I am so sorry boy, it had to end like this
its what I was asked to do...
"I was desperate, I was hungry and miserable...
I guess I am just as broken down
as you were..."
(whispered)..."please,forgive me..."
Copyright September 3 2015 / Melissa A Howells Meloo Tilt-a-World
This is not straight from my world by from someone else's.
I am telling their story. It is not a soft story. This is life.
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BY THIS WRITER/AUTHOR