WESTWARD WAGONS
By Donna Penley Th’ wagon train left St. Joseph, headed for th’ “promised land”; On a cool, crisp day in April, led by a stalwart man. They dreamed of fertile loam where their crops would grow so tall; They thought with luck an’ perseverance, they ‘d arrive in early fall. April melted into May -- Ol’ Sol was hotter now; Women under bonnets wiped their furrowed brow. They went down out of Missou into Kansas territory; A lack of water left it’s mark. Added misery to their story. By June they were out of th’ Flint Hills and onto th’ Kansas plains; Not a tree t’ mark th’ boundaries, an’ th’ heat did not refrain. July was an inferno, a frontiersman’s idea of hell; Dust, no water an’ no shade. Some of their animals fell. They spied th’ foothills of Colorado as th’ August sun burned down; They smelled worse than their animals -- dreamed of torrents rainin’ down! It was harder goin’ now, as they spied th’ snowy peaks; Then dreams of snow an’ waterfalls did quicken their tired feet. Broken axles, broken bones as higher now they climbed; At last they crossed th’ Great Divide, th’ prairie left behind. A woman on th’ train vowed she would go no more; Th’ wagon master pleaded with ‘er, knew what winter held in store. Her eyes were tired, but fierce -- they showed she meant her fervent vow; So th’ pioneers helped build a shanty for them, with room fer a horse an’ cow. Then one early monin’ in th’ Rockies, th’ train pulled out again; Waved goodbye to th’ doughty pair, hopin’ they would win. What happened to that couple? Well, only they might tell -- Two people who true and bravely traversed th’ bowels of Hell. Now, as this Nation struggles under threat of war an’ strife, We, like those first pioneers, hope for a better life! We, like they, won’t have it easy keeping’ our nation free; Old Glory must be held on high by folks like you an’ me. Copyright Protected
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AuthorDonna Penley is a Cowgirl Poet with deep Kansas roots who has been writing cowboy poetry for over twenty five years. She is a real Cowgirl and an ex-barrel racer. Archives
March 2017
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