Cowboy Poetry

I had to share this incredibly beautiful poem, Ruby Mountains, by Jack Walther, a rancher from Nevada. Cowboy poetry is a relatively new discovery for me but it is the genre that contains some of my all-time favorites. This is a great example. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. The photos are all my own.

Calves at Cowhorse Ranch in Ramona, CA

Ruby Mountains by Jack Walther

I am part of this range of waving grass,

Part of the evening breeze, the gentle rains that pass.

I am the horse or range cow that moves out there so free.

Deep down within, they seem a part of me.

I am the snows on the mountain that cause the streams to flow,

Spreading out on the valley, the leaves and branches of a tree,

They are more than a thing of beauty. They are a part of me.

I am the buttercups blooming in the springtime,

The call of the blue grouse on the hill,

The peace and quiet of a summer night

When all the world is still.

I am the sparkling stars on a winter night,

Or a crisp cold morning sun.

I am the gurgling protesting stream,

Beneath the winter ice shall run.

The coyote that howls in the evening or the hoot owl in the wood,

I sense them stir within my soul. Deep down it feels so good.

With this all a part of me, I can never be alone.

I am the richest man on earth, for all this I own.

When this body that you see is stilled,

Stand not by my grave and cry.

When a part of all these things,

I will be renewed and shall never die.

But come out in the fresh spring grass,

See the songbirds up in the tree,

Just relax, spend some time.

It is there I shall forever be.