DIAMOND DOUG KEITH
Domain, Manitoba, Canada
About Diamond Doug Keith
Diamond Doug Keith's web site
Just Me and the World
Four hooves in harmony
Echo across the dusted snow
Riding a pinto patched trail
Through twilight's colourful glow
The willows lay in tangled web
For one in the herd to stray
Not knowin' it's just me and my sorrel pony
Travellin' through here today
The wind carries a cowboy song
For only me to hear
Whistlin' that cowpuncher' melody
I stop to check out my gear
My mount is grazin' where a ranch once stood
When cowboy's lived by the code
Ridin' the range throwin' straight 'n true
For the outfits that they rode
The sun has set as I strike a lope
Guided by the stars above
Pictures tucked inside my heart
Of this land and life that I love
Cowboys should ride and never to grow old
Or lose that sparkle 'n gleam
For it's days like this on the lone prairie
I know I'm ridin' my childhood dream
I keep a tight grip on the reins
With one boot in the past
Just a good horse and me alone
Hopin' the feeling will last
I ride for the love of yesterday
For tomorrow it will be but a memory
Today it's just me and the world.
Today, just the world and me
© 2004, Doug Keith
This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
Doug told us that this poem "is merely a snapshot or memory of riding what's called Canada's 'Cowboy Trail' off Highway 22, south of Longview, Alberta. It is one of the last places that we can open range cowboy. This was a winter day with just me, a good horse and the world. When I need to look for a reason as to why I live this life...it is these days that keep me in the saddle. It definitely isn't the lucrative money we make. Although cowboys do have incredible benefit packages and these memories are a good portion of them."
The Day Leonard Had a Sale
Seasoned bargain dudes 'n cowboys alike
Traveled from near and far
To that camp hidden up in the hills
By half ton, semi and car
They had heard the rumor, the pillow talk
Passed up and down the trail
The cowboy known as Leonard
Was havin' a retirement sale
He'd sell off his treasured hoof 'n tack
The tools of his trade
And some old household items in a bid
To have his retirement paid
There were rusty wrenches & headstalls
Chaps plum worn through
The tools to float a horse's tooth
And a runnin' iron or two
Red velvet lamp shades, a saddle blanket,
A towel that says "hers,"
And one lonely jingle bob
From a pair of Leonard's spurs
Tapaderros chewed on by a mouse
From a year that ends in BC,
The remnants less a cantle
From an Australian saddle tree
Several of Will James' best books
And bits for those who chew the bit
Hackamores and snaffles of every shank
Silver, black, rust, every size, every fit
Still, no cowboys were buyin'
Just standin' round kickin' up dust
Sharin' jokes and a can of snoose
While ol' Len paced and fussed
By sundown his sale was over
And most everything did go
If it neighed or wasn't nailed down
Bargain hunters had it in tow
But why were them cowboys still circlin'
Stead of headin' down the road?
Old Leonard was flush with all that cash--
They'd finally get back what they're owed!
© 2004, Doug Keith
This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
Doug told us, "Len Carroll is a Canadian Hall of Fame cowboy legend and I am very proud to call him 'Pard.' He is 77 years old now and has rode with some big outfits. He has been a stuntman in some old Hollywood cowboy movies, he's packed, outfitted and tore up a bar or two. He is certified by the Canadian justice system as an expert in horses (in case there is a trial where an expert is needed). He is also an incredible poet and story teller. He lives by himself back in the hills with to many dang cats and a mess of horses (He says he keeps forgetting to take the stud out). He wanted to raise some cash to visit his brother in Arizona so he had a sale...this is that story with a little poetic license."
Cowboys, Heroes and Horses
I paused from cinching my saddle's riggin'
To feel the crisp wind out of the West
Brush against my exposed hands and face
Sending my soul a shiver clean thru my vest
Its breath carried memories in vivid color
From when I weren't but a child half grown
Great stories 'n tales that shaped my being
Of cowboys, heroes and horses I've known
My spurs' jingle bobs rang in eerie chime
As I threw them reins over the saddle horn
Leading me to remember my Grandpa's voice
With his tales of buckaroos before I was born
And his great Clydes that worked in harmony
That I knew as if they were my own
And I realize now just how my life's been sculpted
By cowboys, heroes and horses I've known
My chaps' leather creaked against the fender
As I placed my boot in the stirrup's grip
The same sound heard by countless cowboys
When they mounted for their sunrise cow trip
History left us names like Alberta's John Ware
But kept silent the names of those who rode alone
The working cowboys, vaqueros and gauchos that haunt me
In cowboys, heroes and horses I've known
My gelding lurched forward with a spur to lope
With those men of dust and leather at my horse's side
The cowboys of character that came before me
Greats like Bud McKague, Lloyd Dolan and those others who ride
With me through smooth, rough or winding trails
Those who fanned a bronc, started a colt or bin thrown
That made me the man I am and gave me the life I lead
Of cowboys, heroes and horses I've known
Today more than ever we need those--
Cowboys, heroes and horses we've known!© 2003, Doug Keith
This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
Doug told us about this poem: It was penned after my good friend Bud Mckague died. He walked off stage from a standing ovation in Pincher Creek Alberta and collapsed. Bud was probably Canada's greatest orator. Also when he was younger he was a three event rough stock rodeo champion...more than anything he was my friend.
While saddling up one morning in the cold I started to think about Bud and
all the other cowboys that have gone through the same saddling process that I was doing. Then I started to think of all the cowboys that have come into my life to make me the cowboy and more importantly the man I am today.
This poem is my tribute to those cowboys who have come before me
Read Diamond Doug Keith's Remember Christmas, posted with other Christmas 2004 poems
About Diamond Doug Keith:
The "Rhymin' Diamond" continues to be a feature performer at some of the most prestigious cowboy gatherings across North America. He also travels extensively for private and public shows. He enjoys being buckaroo entertainment for companies, associations and a wide variety of organizations when they're havin' a supper or event. Fans can still catch Doug on television and radio through out the year.
He's headlined for the opening ceremonies of the Canadian Mixed Curling Championships in Lethbridge, Alberta. The Diamond has also been on stage with some of the world's biggest cowboy/country stars, and 2004 was no
different. He shared the main-stage at the Dauphin Countryfest with Brad Paisley, Dwight Yoakam and Keith Urban.
Doug captured first place in the Tall Tale Tellin competition at the Brandon 2001 Cowboy Poetry Gathering. He was also recently named Manitoba Cowboy Poet of the Year by the Cowboy Poets of Manitoba and the Brandon Cowboy Gathering committee.
2003 was a big year for Doug as he was featured in the Espiritu Films/CTV documentary Cowboys, Heroes and Horses, an inside look at Canadian cowboy culture through his eyes and shown on the national network. That poem "Cowboys, Heroes and Horses" was published in the April-May issue of Canadian Cowboy Country magazine, an honor and thrill for the Diamond. He was also featured in the 2 hour Calgary Stampede national television special and interviewed on CMT. Two rarities for a cowboy poet.
Known for his humorous story tellin' as well as his poems, Rhymin' Diamond Doug frequently entertains across Western Canada and into the United States as folks seem to be hearin' about the Domain Diamond's shows and escapades for far and wide.
As a well known western illustrator, Doug was commissioned in 2004 to produce a portrait of "Skoal's Airwolf," the three time world champion buckin' horse, upon his retirement at the Bonnyville, Alberta Pro Rodeo. Doug presented Shane Franklin of the famous and historic Franklin Rodeo Stock Company with the beautifully framed piece at the centre or the pitch with Rod Tandy of Montana and representatives of the rodeo.
Living a western lifestyle, promoting cowboy culture through his poems and western art is where Doug is the happiest. His greatest love however, is his faithful sidekick, (his daughter) Cody Anne. They enjoy life horsin' around the "Cowboy Way."
If you're a wrangler, or just wearin' wranglers, you are bound to enjoy this rare blend of humour and cowboy folklore.
Look to Doug's web-site for more info or where you can catch him, www.diamonddougkeith.com
For booking information call: 1-204-736-3412, Or mail to: Diamond Doug Keith, Rhymin' Diamond Ranch, Box 8, Domain, Manitoba, R0G 0M0
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2000-2004
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