BILL HAVINS
About Bill Havins
Chapped Lips
The hottest days of summer this cowboys ever seen
We moved a herd of cattle up the trail to Abilene
Old Tex and me was ridin' drag and dust was in our mouth
We felt just like the north end of a horse that's headin' south
Spittin' dirt and cursing cows, you get accustomed to it
The words I use to cuss these cows, the devil makes me do it
The boss says leadin' cowboys life, you've really got to love it
But riding' drag behind this herd, he can take this job and shove it
Cowboys don't own many things, just a few old odds and ends
But there are times that they could use a box of them Depends
When nature calls out on the trail, you know the very minute
That you dismount and walk 10 feet you'll be steppin' in it
Old Tex dismounts and sticks his fingers in a fresh cow pattie
Then smears it on his lips and mouth, I think he's going batty
I wonder if that helps chapped lips, mine's cracked and bleedin' too
But to smear manure on your mouth and lips is a nasty thing to do
But, if that's a cure I'll try it too, although it's almost sickenin'
Tex says it doesn't really cure, but it sure keeps him from licken'em
© 2002, W. L. Havins
Bill adds:I guess I was inspired to write this thinking of my old grandpa, who was a real cowboy working on several ranches around San Angelo and up in the panhandle of Texas. He explained the hard life of a working cowboy was quite different than my movie cowboy heros, Buck Jones, Tom Mix and Hoot Gibson.
About Bill Havins:
I was raised in West Texas, Arizona and California. After a stint in the navy
during WWII, I worked as a telegrapher for Santa Fe railway and played bass
and guitar in several country bands. So writing poetry and setting them to
music comes natural for me.
What's New | Folks' Poems | Newsletter
Poets retain copyright to their work; obtain a poet's
permission before using a poem in any form.Site and other content © Fernstrom, Inc.
Graphics: Red Braznell Top hand: Bucky
Managing editor: M. Metegrano
