Life and Death Above The Watering Hole — Images by kenne
You read of fierce bulls in the stories and books,
But you don’t hear a heap ’bout an old cow that hooks.
A bull charges blind, but an old cow is wise.
She keeps her head shakin’ and opens her eyes.
If you git to a post I have generally found
She runs right up to it and reaches around.And yore biddin’ fer trouble as shore as yore born
If you git yore old belly mixed up with her horn.
You have seen a cow scatter a whole brandin’ crew
When they drug a calf in and the cow follered too.
Think a cow boy caint run? Well you ain’t seen one sail
When a cow blows her nose on some waddy’s shirt tail.Sometimes when you pull a cow out of a bog
She will charge with a rush like some salty brush hog.
If an old cow gits down cause she’s weak and she’s pore,
If you help git her up she will fight you jest shore.
If you judge by her actions toward hosses and men,
She’s by nature a heap like an old settin’ hen.I’ll bet you was glad that you wasn’t too late
When you lit with yore belly across some old gate,
And an old cow hit right underneath with a crash.
Jest a little more and she’d settle yore hash.
You fell on across and was mad when you heered
How the rest of them ranahans hollered and cheered.Yes cows is odd critters; it shore is plum strange.
The pet cows is gentle, but them on the range
Is a sp’ilin’ fer fight if they once git a skeer,
Or you make a calf bawl when the old cow can hear.
They’re onreasonable cusses I’ll tell you right now,
Fer you can’t explain much to a fightin’ old cow.by Bruce Kiskaddon, From Rhymes of the Ranges and Other Poems, 1947
