One well worn old Henry carbine
A Colt 44 and a pair of old boots
Lived most of his life on bacon and beans
Never stayed anyone place to put down roots
Rode the range before most of us were born
Knew more stories then old Mark Twain
Carried an old CSA buckle from the allegiance he swore
Now to long in the saddle brings pain
Can still rope and brand with the best
Drinking Arbuckle coffee hot and strong
More and more now he needs to rest
Never understanding why some cowpokes go wrong
Sleeping under the star's most of his life
Hair now white and a sun wrinkled face
Wondering why he never took a wife
Soft speaking always knew his place
Those old grey eyes so much they have seen
Nebraska prairie covered white with snow
The high Rockies in the early spring
The wave of the buffalo grass as the wind blows
Evening sun lighting the desert sage
Tall pines at the top of the tree line
Watching the dust from a east Bound stage
Gods glory seen as if frozen in time
He taught me how to live free
Always to treat others fair
But that its not wrong to disagree
Trust in God and never despair
Gone to the range on the other side of a cloud
Riding with all his lost partner's in the sky
Where his life with be easy and mild
I shall never forget him and those old grey eyes
Edwin J. Smith
The Old Cowboy Poet
Dec 10th 2008