Cowboy poetry a gathering

Range Cow in Winter by Vern Mortensen Have you listened still on a desert hill At the close of a bitter day, When the orange sun in wispy clouds Was set in a greenish haze? In a cold white world of deepening drifts That cover the land like a pall, Then the plaintive bawl of a hungry cow Is the loneliest sound of all! Have you listened still on a desert hill When the world was cold and drear, When the tinkling bells of a herd of sheep Was the nearest sound you'd hear, And the haunting notes of a lone coyote whose Evening's hunting howlRose wild and clear in the cold blue night, And was answered by the hoot of an owl? But when the scanty grass lies covered deep By the snow that lies like a pall, Then the plaintive bawl of a hungry cowIs the loneliest sound of all! Excerpted from Cowboy Poetry: A Gathering All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.