For Love of Pain

Why do we lead the life we lead?

To wake before first light

To saddle up in dark

To smell the air of many places we may go

To hear the coyote call

To see the hawk or eagle fall

To ride the trails or our memories

Why the pain?

For the days to come

For rain to fall

The dust and dirt and blood we spill

For the ones we love

For the mountains

To look to what's to come

But never really know

To wish and think and ride so far

To be the one that they remember

Why do we love it?

It's in our blood

It's there to be

Wanting and wishing and living in you and me

It runs strong but hot

It's there for you to see

To help you through the pain and misery

It may be a hard life

But it's the life we choose

The life one of us must to lead

Poem 2

. (Untitled)

Vastly part of pain and past

Death that lay ahead

We knew not what we rode into

We didn't see it coming

Like demons they discended

And like Angels we fell

There was no battle to recall

Although a few shots rang

But where our captain lay

Face pointed to the sky

His heart no longer beat

I stood alone among our enemies

When the smoke had finally cleared

And the horses hung their heads

I looked around to find

All our men had fell

I held my pistol at my right

I looked to those that killed

And on that place where our blood was spilt

I to lay today

They saw me to be crazy

They went ti ride away

But when I dropped them one by one

I to had to fal

l He was a proud man who shot me

A good aim if he had not been blind

But fear had him crazy

He got me to damn low

So as I waited for the angels

I prayed to God to forgive

And there I lay today