Heritage
The ranch on which I hung my hat, though short on most the frills,
Was thirteen sections, give or take, of Texas' rollin' hills.
We called it home, our little world, our very own frontier,
Amongst the cattle, sheep an' goats; the varmints, hogs an' deer.
It's done right well in Nature's care, withstood her angry rage,
Survived extremes of drought an' flood: an' made me earn my wage.
The land has taught me what I know, that livin' life's an art,
That all you need is common sense, resolve an' gentle heart.
One day I watched the breakin' dawn an' sniffed the mornin' air,
A time I often set aside for things like thought an' prayer.
A Mockin'bird an' Mornin' Dove, an' other birds at play,
Were there to sing an' set the mood to start another day.
That mornin' saw the strangest thing, like time itself had merged,
An' all the souls who once were here, appeared an' then converged.
In swirlin' clouds of mist an' fog, right off the bluffs they rolled,
Till all had gathered in the glen, the modern an' the old.
The Indians, conquistadors, an' other ancient men,
The soldiers from this country's wars, an' cowboys from back when.
They all had come from yesterday to help me understand,
The reasons to perpetuate our heritage an' our land.
A crazy notion, so I thought, that they could just appear,
But let me tell ya' something now, the reason soon got clear.
They rode with me throughout the day an' showed me things I'd missed,
Some things I'd seen a thousand times an' some I'd just dismissed.
The wagon roads of long ago, still evident today,
Are carved in rock an' rutted earth, not apt to wash away.
They linked the missions, forts an' towns those many years gone by;
An' left their mark for all to see, as modern times grew nigh.
The artifacts an' weathered ruins attest to yesterdays,
When others came an' lived their lives in very different ways.
We've seen their skill in arrowheads they honed from fired stone,
An' craftsmanship in beads an' tools they fashioned out of bone.
At ever turn and trail we took was something to remind,
The Maker must have had a plan laid out for humankind.
The Earth He made, has fed us all a half-a-million years,
An' used her constant states of change to challenge pioneers.
Well, now our home is long since gone; the ranch is laid to rest,
Divided, sold an' fenced in lots; the owner thought it best.
That time is ours to always keep; those souls have not returned,
But I recall that breakin' dawn an' all the things I learned.
I do not know if they'll be back or if they'll feel the need,
But I'm prepared to ride the trail, wherever it may lead.
I'm just a spirit ridin' time, whose body's from the Earth,
An' feel it's time I took the reins an' offered-up my worth.
The land has been the legacy we cultivate an' reap,
The life has been the heritage our fathers fought to keep,
An' we are bound throughout our time with those who came before,
To give our hearts and souls to it, and to make it something more.
�1998, Jim Fish
This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without written permission.
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The Ride
Whilst a-scoutin' the badlands in back of my mind,
For to gather some mem'ries I once left behind,
I rode up on an evenin', just shy of the herd,
That was nearly as clear as the time it occurred...
It was Sunday at dusk, on an August fourteenth,
An' was one of them days that took all of your strength.
I was out on a bluff, overlookin' a draw,
Just surveyin' the lay of the valley I saw.
I'd been ponderin' the war for some five-or-so years,
An' a-spendin' my time just a-fightin' old fears.
Comin' back to the ranch an' the ways I'd been taught
Hadn't helped very much with the battles I fought.
So I prayed for the Maker to take me away,
Or just give me good reason for why I should stay;
An' then stepped to the rim of that hundred-foot ledge,
Til the toes of my boots were out over the edge.
Then I lifted my head an' let wander my eye,
An' caught sight of the light of a star in the sky.
From the dark an' unknown it kept pullin' at me,
Like a siren who lures from an island at sea.
I'd a-cut me a trail to that yonder frontier
To be shed of the troubles corrallin' me here.
I'd been thrown by the problems that livin' had shown,
To the point that the scars seemed to go to the bone.
So, I gave her the reins an' the next thing I knew
I'as inside of a tunnel, an' shootin' straight through.
There was hundreds of colors a-swirlin' around
In the rumblin' roar of a thunderous sound.
I was sorta uneasy an' awful perplexed
But I wanted to see what was comin' up next.
By the time I got braced for a ride in the night,
I'as already a-slowin' in front of the light.
Now, the light was a grid stretchin' plumb out of view.
It had bright glowin' beams in a pale-lookin' blue.
I saw stars goin' in an' some others come out,
An' some modules a-twinklin' an' floatin' about.
Well, I knew I'as okay an' saw nothin' to fear;
I just ambled on up an' was gettin' right near,
When this feller in black come an' lead me away,
To a place he'd been keepin' for visitors to stay.
He'as a wise lookin' hombre, a preacher I guessed,
With a long grayin' beard goin' down to his chest.
He had fine leather boots that went up to his knees,
An' he offered a seat with a kind, "If ya please."
Then I felt 'im a-reachin' right into my mind,
An' was bothered a mite as to just what he'd find;
But his reachin' came easy with things that he said,
He just didn't use words to put this in my head�
"You can listen to those who got answers to give
An' can answer to those who make laws how to live,
But they won't ever know all your feelin's an' needs,
An'll bore you to tears with their proverbs an' creeds."
"When the Lord was a-riggin' your body for Earth,
He was aimmin' you'd use it for all it was worth;
For the solvin' of problems, an' for workin' your spread;
An' for buildin' endurance for what lies ahead."
"When the goin' gets tough an' your spirits are low,
An' the end of your rope is beginnin' to show;
It's like loosin' your nerve on some broncy ol' horse,
Where your loose in the saddle an' lopin' off course."
"Well, your chances for ridin's the luck of the draw;
He might throw you a windin' an' scrape you plumb raw.
It's the scars that you get that will toughen your hide,
An' just one of them reasons for why you should ride."
"Oh, the ride'll get wild, if you're ridin' for long,
An' you're new to the ways of the horse that you're on.
Try to figger 'im out an' to lighten your load,
It might shorten the time that your rump's in the road."
"Now there's trails headin' out, if you're runnin' away,
But you cain't learn a thing if you ain't gonna stay.
Ever day that you live got some lessons to learn;
There are things to improve as you round ever turn."
"Just remember that change is a-comin' your way,
Cause it's just like the sun how it comes ever day.
You can fight it, or ride it, ignore it or not;
But it's what you decide that determines your lot."
"Oh, there's ways to endure what the Lord has in mind,
If you open your eyes to the ways that you find.
They're like wages you earn; don't seem much at first glance,
But they'll carry you far if you give 'em a chance."
"Aw, we're childern of God, an' we grow in His care,
An' the strength that we need for our lives'll be there,
Cause it comes with His grace to our lives ever day,
If we work an' attend to the things in our way."
In a shot I was back at the top of the draw
An' was mighty confused by the things that I saw;
But I slept through the night in a still, quiet calm,
For the first time in years, since I left Viet Nam.
Now that time's told the tale an' I've grown from the hell,
An' a many a bronc's had a piece of my tail;
They have toughened my hide, made me stronger inside,
So I reckon the Maker allows I should ride.
�1993, Jim Fish
This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without written permission.
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