Yes, it does have to do with freedom
but mainly little things
like how you hold the reins
loose enough so your arms don’t get jerked out
when your horse stumbles
but not so loose
that you’re reeling in leather
when you skid down from
full out

A cowboy has unflinching confidence
in himself
and his horse
as they burst through some Aspen stand
full gallop and welded
trying to cut the angle on some crazed steer
oblivious to the limbs tearing at their face
or if there is barbed wire
or a canyon that’s awaiting their fate 
It’s not a conscious thing
when the earth falls away
it’s a moment
that’s pure
and lasts not even that long
or a moment that’s frozen in hell
and all of time has gone

Thoughts on cowboys 2

A cowboy is riding some spring green meadow
lost in thought
his horse has his head down
trying to grab a bite along the way
(remember the reins thing)
when the most beautifully colored
and sweetest little baby deer
just jumps right out from under your horse’s feet
cause he was about to get stepped on
and you never seen him
Now you remember
you saw momma acting weird just a little while ago
so you shoulda known she had a baby around
as your horse jumps about 10 feet up and  5 feet sideways
You are no longer lost in thought
You are now completely focused
on riding this thing out
Your horse is bucking for saddle bronc of the year
and yet while you're riding this out
You kinda wonder if maybe Fredrick Remington
is around to bronze this thing

After you’ve gathered everything in
and your horse is settled down
you look around for the instigators
of this singular national championship saddle bronc ride
and there they are

momma and her pretty little baby  
looking back at you from the edge of the tree line
just as they disappear
You swear you and momma make eye contact
like the two of you had shared a little secret something about life
and you know that mamma and her baby had a little talk
and probably a laugh or two at you and your horse’s expense
Course you’d never tell anyone this

And you feel pretty good
You made a hell of a ride
And you were part of something real nice

Cowboys think like this
—they just never admit it
They look at you with a face like stone
like they wouldn’t know which end of a horse to rope
But they’d have a big ol’ grin in their heart
and within themselves they’d say
Me and this old horse
we pulled it off