giddy up little doggies

when you were a cowboy
riding the range
you weren't a very good
cowboy.
for one thing
you disliked beans.
not to mention being
afraid of horses
and cattle
with their runny
black eyes always
giving you a strange
look.
you liked the hat
and the chaps,
spurs. you've always
been a big
fan of spurs ever
since you met
rosey at the cantina
but the boots
crimped your
toes and gave you
blisters.
they wouldn't let
you wear your loafers
or tennis shoes
while rustling
the cattle.
sometimes you didn't
want to sing
those cowboy songs
around the campfire
so you would put cotton
in your ears
and hum your own
songs which didn't bode
well with your
fellow cowboys
when Indians attacked.
you were slow
to circle the wagons.
sometimes you
wistfully hoped
that you could be an
indian. shirt off
getting a tan,
and making those
whooping noises.
living off the lay
of the land. you liked
their back to nature
style. at heart you were
an indian.