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 WESTWARD WAGONS

3/9/2017

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 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.

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    Author

    Donna 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.

    Donna writes about all phases of cowboy life, with lots of humor woven in. Her poem Carrie Nation hangs in the Carrie Nation Museum in Medicine Lodge, Kansas.

    As a benefit for the blind and sight impaired, Great Empire Broadcasting produced a cassette tape of her poetry and distributed it to all Kansas public libraries (
    No Preservatives Added : a collection of cowboy poetry).

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  • Wheel of Fortune Ranch
  • About Donna Penley
  • Contact
  • Interview Real People, Real Life
  • Riding Lessons
  • What's In A Name
  • Western Novels / Poetry
  • Petting Ranch
  • Get Involved / Volunteer
  • Ranch Products / Services
  • Blog
  • Slide Show
  • Rehoming A Pet
  • Ranch Videos
  • 10 Commandments of the Ranch
  • Back To The Country
  • Chicks In School