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Enjoy a collection of poetry and other word artistry curated by WNPR.

New England Cowboy

Charles Henry
/
Creative Commons

Cue tumbleweed.
Dust kicked up from his snakeskin boots catches to the northbound gale
He straddles the barren road; a stance ready to draw
He practices 1, 2, 3 gunshots just because he can
The sheriffs peer tentatively behind blinds
He holsters his Peacemaker, a Colt .45

 

                The Southern breeze comes through the factory window   taunting
                                        able to come and go as it pleases
                Sweat salting his crinkled brow aging his pasty face.
                Buffalo Bill enters with North and Judd to observe
                Heads down. Like the mechanisms they work with he is a machine,
                                        precise,         efficient.

 

He tips his hat to hide the identity of his sun-leathered face
A desert wind swings saloon doors sending gossip from whispering mouths to the ear of the Cowboy
His cigarette limply sticks to his thirsty lips, bouncing,     balancing
He chuckles so smooth like his favorite whiskey

 

                he cracks his calloused knuckles dismissing any daydream
                Stitch, grease, fasten.
                Kids. Wife. House.
                Focus. No room for a daydream.
                His mantra.

 

Spurs mimic the hiss of rattlesnakes as he mounts his horse
Moon Dance kicks up more dust bucking, sending a little more Texas northbound
Her saddle's stirrups jingle by her sides
It's quite a scene really, people gawk in awe at the epitome of the Southwestern hero.

 

                Time to clock out,      they march out     like soldiers
                Stitch, grease, fasten. Kids. Wife. House. No room for a daydream.
                He chants in his mind like a revolving piece of his equipment    he is
                                        a machine. An industrial revolution.
                Stitch, grease, fasten.
                                        The American Dream.

 

The Cowboy removes his hat and swings it over his head as he "yahoo's" to the start of his adventure
His brief guttural proof of independence reveals an imprint his tight hat stamped on his forehead:

 

                Made in New Britain, CT

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Fund the Facts

You just read trusted, local journalism that’s free for everyone, thanks to donors like you.

If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — Connecticut.