An armadillo leaned on a fence,
too wilted to muster a proper defense.
His cowboy hat slouched
like a biscuit overbrowned,
his dignity having long since left town.
The relentless sun blazed down with cheer,
roasting the pasture for the fifteenth month this year.
Grasshoppers staggered.
Mesquite trees panted.
Even the buzzards looked disenchanted.
The dillo squinted west and sighed,
I reckon I'm medium-well inside.
One more degree
and y'all will see
roadside jerky where I used to be."
A bead of sweat rolled down his snout.
He watched it fall. He watched it sizzle.
"Autumn," he grumbled,
"has missed her exit.
She's probably lost near Abilene."
The fence post offered little aid.
The shade was merely shade-adjacent.
He tipped one claw
to his hat and said,
"If anybody spots October,
tell it I'm awaitin'."
in my head I had a runaway tooth
he ran off to Texas with a masseuse
dumped her for a buxom waitress named Ruth
let lightning strike my bum if this isn’t the truth
I sent an incisor to bring that rascal back
he said I am angry; feel like I am under attack
consumed a huge steak in a café booth
then ran off to Abilene with that waitress, Ruth
I have a big hole where that tooth used to be
I dare not smile, for it is all others can see
That tooth sent me a telegram the other day
Without reading it, I tore it up and threw it away
as the Sandman hovers above us
arm around you, bodies relaxed
electrical pulses from the brain surge
my body slips into a paralysis
everything is where it belongs
in the security of next to you
lies more than a reward for the day
i am far beyond mere satisfaction
i am floating in a placid being
waves gently guiding me
i leave with you on the Ameles potamos
the warmth of your kiss goodnight
upon my wedding ring
a ritual so among the beloved moments
you touch me with, fresh warmth at days end
that guides me to slumber
life could not have given me more than this
holding you as the Sandman hovers above
now i wish to hold you in my dreams
until morning brings to me
the dream i love the most
as the sun roars into existence
your lips pressed to mine
3/18 Abilene Kismet
My house blew clear to Texas the cowboy said.
His spittle hit a saddle, and my face turned red.
He was crude for sure, but his stories were great.
I waited to hear more, and it was worth the wait.
He had stories about tornadoes and rattlesnakes too.
Shared some horrific details about hangings before he was through.
Why do you listen to that old coot? My mama said.
She does not know the beauty of an old crazy man’s head.
He can entertain the best of us with stories of far away.
Much farther than most of us will ever travel if Ma has her say.
“Past Abilene that old house began to fall apart, he said with a grin.
I love his stories, his mannerisms, his invented words, and his fantastical vim.
as the moon begins its disappearance
leaving silver caps atop the waves
soon becoming an illuminated path
i am denied to journey upon
knowing it is rising for you
i am held captive in the sorrow
that life has left us
more than an enchanting moon
more than a captivating gaze
more than an ocean of separation
a distance we will never close
yet my heart holds you in a quantum entanglement
not even the breadth of the universe can ever separate
a heart who keeps you embedded in adoration
where quantum tunneling fails its mathematical model
impervious to any assault by the rust of time
it is a barrier clothed in eternity
it is where i will forever be
in love with you
Abilene 3/2/18 Omnium Gatherum
A frugal inventor in Abilene
has finally perfected a time machine
He goes way back in time
brings back beer for a dime
and watches the Super Bowl on his big screen
2/7/22
He used to be a ramblin' man
Drank and gambled shore to shore
Then he met a brown eyed lady
And he don't do that anymore
Oh, he was born in New Orleans
Traveled as far as Singapore
He met a girl from Abilene
And he don't travel anymore
Now she was special, she was sweet
He'd never seen her like before
Always he had loved and left 'em
But he don't do that anymore
They grew old and the town's still there
Their love grew a little stronger
They hold hands as the sun goes down
They'll do that for awhile longer
3-28-20
We hung a horse thief in Wichita
Meanest man anyone ever saw
He laughed just before we did the chore
Said from his grave he'd moan ever more
He said that he'd sit there on his stone
And the town could watch him turn to bone
And as they watched him turn slow to dust
He would watch them pay as pay they must
Well he was dead as the sun went down
On his way out of our little town
We drove all night in a hearse machine
Buried his carcass in Abilene
We hear that town has moaning at night
A ghost can be seen before daylight
They hear "You'll pay" in an eerie song
But they just shrug and move on along
9-23-19
Contest: Haunted
Sponsor: Tania Kitchin
We hung the baddest man in Kileen
As dangerous as we'd ever seen
"I will haunt you," he had said
"I will come back from the dead."
So we buried him in Abilene.
12-25-18
Contest: Let's Have Fun Limerick
Sponsor: Shadow Hamilton
It was just a simple country barn dance
On a little farm outside Abilene
Her brown eyes would flash "won't you take a chance?"
Her feet were smooth as a dancing machine
On a little farm outside Abilene
Our eyes met as if we had always known
Her feet were smooth as a dancing machine
Our thoughts were one as if we were alone
Our eyes met as if we had always known
This time should come within our lives just now
Our thoughts were one as if we were alone
As we danced together and loved somehow
This time should come within our lives just now
While in our silence the music still played
As we danced together and loved somehow
She brushed my lips and she was gone - I stayed
While in our silence the music still played
She never told me her name or asked mine
She brushed my lips and she was gone - I stayed
Now I am old and she left me behind
She never told me her name or asked mine
Her brown eyes would flash, "won't you take a chance?"
Now I am old and she left me behind
It was just a simple country barn dance
10/20/2017
For contest Dust Off a Memory... for Broken Wings
I've known some Katies and I've loved some Sadies
And I've seen my share of girls' names in between
But I'll tell you son I've never known one
That measured up to a girl named Ima Jean
She could rope a calf or she could make me laugh
And she could do things that I've never seen
I would have wed her but she had thought better
And ran off with a dude from Abilene
Well I miss her still guess I always will
And there are times I get nasty and mean
Then I drink my beer and wish she was here
Instead of with that dude from Abilene
9/17/2017
There's a grave out on the Plains that holds the last remains
Of a cowboy shot dead in Abilene
It was a young girl they say that caused his death that day
And left him in a hole that's never seen
He swore with his last breath that he'd haunt this town in death -
So his grave's forty miles from Abilene
5/29/2017
For contest 6 Lines Max
Even young bucks like yourself there
Find that they need advice
Go on and ask your share
Hell, I've been there least once or twice
I was in Abilene one day
Just drivin' some cows through
Knew I'd find a "lady" they say
Lookin' for someone, too
Met her in a local saloon
Never did know her name
Once we agreed to meet at noon
Past problems caused me shame
Quick as a wink they came back clear-
Razor took two fingers-
Stiletto took most of an ear
Tramplin' scars still linger
Upstairs in her place we undressed
Venus looked good in sheer
When she looked at me she got stressed
"Xavier, you ain't all here!"
ABAB
September 1, 2016
For Contest Alphabet Soup
The Cowboy Life
He spends so many days
Traveling the old cattle trails
From Oklahoma to Abilene
Day after day with no end in sight
Just other men, horses and cattle
Mile after mile
Storms and endless sun
Sand blowing across the plains
Tearing into his skin
The cowboy waits for a single moment
To take time to relax and be himself
Away from the noise and the hardness
To lose his exhaustion
And just to take the time to look at his world
Sadly, that moment won’t last for long
Tomorrow he’ll be back on the trail
Surrounded by cowboys and cattle
And once again, despite the heat and the weather
He will love it
Because he knows one thing
It is his life and he will never give it up
Preterition of Cooking
Don't talk to me about cooking
I don't cook anymore
Tried to cook on a cattle drive
The boys gave me "what for"
We was eight days from Abilene
Cooking was goin' well
A twister jumped the herd that day
An' blew the cook to hell
We don't talk about cooking -
I volunteered to cook
Eight days the cowboys ate my swill,
But that was all they took
I don't cook since that awful day -
The day that they threw stones
Cooking is for others to do
That day they broke my bones.
Let us not talk about cooking
We'll find some way to eat
My bones still ache unto this day
I'd rather eat raw meat
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