Gary Robertson
1482 Hidden Valley Rd
Thousand Oaks, CA 91361
(805) 495-6510
About Gary Robertson
Poetry
Recordings
Contacting Gary Robertson
About Gary Robertson
Gary Robertson is from a family that has been Oklahoma since Indian Territory days, when his mother's people were "removed" there on the Trail of Tears and his father's family arrived from Texas. His roots on both sides are full of ranching, cattle, horses, and the settlement of the West. "The need I have to share my thoughts and experiences through verse and a lyric probably comes from my gene pool. With Texans and Indians in my background, I come from a long line of storytellers."
Most of Gary's writing details the concerns of contemporary ranch life. He feels it's important to let people know that cowboys and ranchers still are alive and well.
His poetry has been published in several national publications (including Cowboy Poetry:The Reunion edited by Virginia Bennett), and he has produced numerous recordings of his work. Gary has been a featured performer at the Colorado Cowboy Gathering, Autry National Center, Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering, Big Bear Cowboy Gathering, and the Monterey Cowboy Festival, and was the featured poet at the 2006 Long Beach Poetry Festival. Gary Has managed the Greenfield Ranch in Ventura County, California, for the past 17 years, but before he left Oklahoma, he taught blacksmithing and farrier science the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School.
Read about his CDs, The Nickel, and The Only Cowboy There Was Me, below.
Ruby was born on the Home Place in '32
Grandad told Daddy he could call her his own.
From the stories I've heard from my Daddy,
From that day on he was rarely alone.
Her mama, she worked 'tween the traces
So Ruby would be left in the pen
By the time they had worked to the end of a row
That little filly would be right there with them.
Grandad said she was half Pinto 'n half Whitetail deer
Cleared every fence that they had on the place.
Oh, he'd fuss 'bout just how ornery she was
But always with a smile on his face.
When it came time for breakin' 'n trainin'
Daddy swears she taught him how to ride
Still today when talks 'bout Ruby
His eyes, they just light up with pride.
See, they were playmates, 'n buddies, 'n partners
Each gettin' so much more than they gave
They were young, they were strong, they were carefree
They were innocent, they were brave.
With his rifle, a sack lunch, 'n a bottle of pop
They'd set out at the first light of day
'Though he was a kid, there was work to be done
But still time for adventure 'n to play.
Dad would ride Ruby, as he followed the cows
That grazed on the south railroad lease
Some days he was a drover on the Old Chisholm Trail
Some days, Tom Mix, keepin' the peace.
Folks, Ruby gave him his first taste of freedom
She gave him her soul 'n her heart
He gave her his dreams 'n his boyhood
Took a war to pull them apart.
His first year away, he built airplanes
The next four, fightin' the war.
By the time he got home, missed a third of her life
'N maybe a few months more.
His first day back, he walked out to the trap
Whistled her up, 'n let out a yell
She picked up her head, took a few halting steps,
Then came runnin', like a bat out-a Hell.
Their reunion was sweet, but a short one
Time had done what Time always does.
Ruby was not part of "What's yet to be."
She was part of a life "That once was."
The G.I. Bill, a walk down the aisle
Then us kids, a house, 'n career
We'd only get back to the Home Place
A couple-a times a year.
But, the first horse that I rode was Old Ruby
Slid down her neck, when she bent down to eat
No, I wasn't much of a horseman yet,
But in diapers, a feller can't take a deep seat.
Today, my whole life revolves 'round horses
You could say I fell under the spell
That Ruby could weave 'round a young boy's heart
Folks, it's a magic she worked awful well.
When I was little, I wanted Grandad to say she was mine
Now, I know why that couldn't be
I see that Ruby was still giving to my Daddy
When she lit this fire in me.
Ruby lived out her days on the Home Place
But, for me, her last chorus has yet to be sung
'Cause in memories, 'n stories, 'n pictures
She and Daddy are forever young.
There's a painting, up over the mantle
Made from a snap-shot, tucked there in the frame.
Shows Daddy a-horseback on Ruby
'N he's got him a handful of mane.
'N she's standin' full up on her hind legs
Her fronts are pawin' the air
You can see her joy, you can see his pride,
My God but they made-em a pair.© 2005, G. D. Robertson
This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
The Cotton Patch
If you're a Texan 'r an Okie
'N you, your Daddy, 'n Grandad chased cows
'N you ever wondered what made you-all Cowboys
I'm fixin' to tell-ya right now.
See, I was born in Oklahoma
Was raised on ole Bob Wills,
'N that Texas Playboy music
It sure cures this cowboy's ills.
Yep, near every note that ole Bob wrote
Was magic to my ears
'N his music just gets better
As it mellows through the years.
But for all the truth 'n feelin'
He put into each song
It's a quote of his I read one day
That's stayed with me so long.
See, Bob grew up workin' cotton
Underneath the Texas sun
'N he knew when workin' cotton
The work ain't never done.
'N he knew when pickin' cotton
Your fingers never healed
That's why he said...
"Nothin' made more Cowboys than them damned-ole cotton fields."
Choppin', hoein', 'n pickin'
Made ridin 'n ropein' seem tame
'N draggin' a hundred-weight sack 'tween the rows
Made Cowbvoyin' look like a game.
'N the view from the back of a pony
Beat the view from the end of a hoe
'N ridin' all day, seein' nothin' but dust
Beat seein' nothin' but row after row.
No, it weren't the romance of bein' a Cowboy
That put them spurs on your heels.
It was someone findin' a way to escape
Them endless cotton fields
So, on them days when your arthritis pains ya
'N the weather is nasty 'n rotten
Just smile 'n give thanks to your Grandaddy's Dad
'Cause son, you could be farmin' cotton.
© 2004, G. D. Robertson, included on The Nickel
This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
The Nickel
2006Includes:
The Nickel
50+ Survival Diet
The Cotton Patch
The Snake
Dogs Can't Play Poker
The Price
American West
The Horseman
The Anniversary Poem
Marriage Contract
Legal Advice
I Never Sold My Saddle
Procrastination
Listen to tracks and find order information at CD Baby.
The Only Cowboy There Was Me
2001Includes:
Biker Shorts
Native
Lucky
Garcia Spurs
I Rode My Son's Horse This Mornin'
Ole Cookie
Bein' Known To Be A Hand
Pockets
Lazy Dog Saloon
The Christmas Poem
Ruby Dome
The Cowboy And The Genie
Listen to tracks and find order information at CD Baby.
Gary Robertson
1482 Hidden Valley Rd
Thousand Oaks, CA 91361
(805) 495-6510Visit Gary Robertson's web site: GarysCowboyPoetry.com
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