Best Bison Poems
dawn time leaves
steamy breath on the window ~
a bison snorting
Categories:
bison, animal, dark,
Form:
Haiku
A cumulous herd,
Roams a prairie atmosphere:
Thunderous stampede.
Categories:
bison, nature
Form:
Haiku
Strictly still in the marina
Loving and toying with the pier fingers
Shes a heavy, long boat
An old worker
Modern and comfort slipped with no disturbance into the workwomen
Her engine starts with aggressive industrial baritone chugging
Before oozing into the canal with the grace of a disgruntled elderly woman
Designed for the manoeuvring collisions
Water off a boats back
Undisturbed water – all but an inquisitive pike breaching
Silent cataclysmic rumbles moves her along
The smooth canal trampled
A minute slit in the graceful water
Categories:
bison, boat,
Form:
Free verse
“Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam …” —Dr Brewster M Higley VI
Oh, give me a home ...
where the big bison bellow,
bellowing in beautiful
bucolic backgrounds,
backgrounds begging
backpackers beware,
beware of being beset by
big bison bellowing!
Beset by a bison?
Bison basics best behavior—
Better to back up bovine-like
than be busted up by a bison
Better believe it!
Categories:
bison, animal, fear, nature,
Form:
Alliteration
...I must’ve passed out not long after that,
in the hospital people did say
that bison and bull went for ten minutes,
before the tired, and both slunk away.
The people called it the best rodeo
that any of them had ever seen,
some hippies protested, what else is new,
they said treating bison that way was ‘mean.’
And the Forest Service took my statement,
it was clear they thought I was at fault,
but they could not book me for any crimes,
none had seen the first charge, after all.
Some of the bull-riders thought I was tough,
and declared I should take up the sport,
they even wrote a song about the day,
but didn’t mention how I ruined my shorts.
I just declined, having more than enough
‘fun’ riding on the backs of bis cows,
I just wanted to find some quiet job,
if this mad universe would allow.
But I should’ve known this wasn’t my luck,
and soon events would somehow conspire
to make me baptize the pope himself
in a church that was strangely on fire…
Categories:
bison, adventure, animal, fun, humor,
Form:
Narrative
A cloud descends from the sigh of a beast
Covering the valley with a steaming thick mist
A hundred years after his charge in a stampede
The tremors reverberate the spirit in his hide
A hard pillow on a bed of thorns
I toss and turn on mystical horns
I lay blind my days out of sight
Struck by thunder a prey unto the night
A lifetime nailed to the wall I free fall
To a nightmare of blood and gall
A silver stare explodes into an endless chase
A spiked claw scratches my final resting place
Categories:
bison, animal, spiritual,
Form:
Rhyme
He crouches behind the camouflage,
watching - waiting - quiet - still,
just one of many,
all eyes on the horizon,
hearts pounding - expectant - eager - patient.
First there appears the thin line of dust,
then distant thunder,
growing louder and louder,
until the ground trembles
with the pounding of a million hooves.
The hunters are visible now,
and the bison are panicked,
but it's too late.
They try to flee,
but are squeezed from both sides,
a narrow funnel forming up ahead.
They quicken their pace,
and then see the cliff.
Hooves dig into the hard earth,
eyes roll in fear,
mouths froth.
There's no stopping now.
Those in front are pushed by the weight
of the mass behind,
and flung over the edge.
Tortured screams fill the air,
below, only the dull sound of soft bodies,
thud - thud - thud.
Time, suspended, frozen,
finally merges with eternity.
The hunters look on in haunted silence,
The spirits of the bison have been released.
They have sacrificed for the people,
and the people are grateful.
Categories:
bison, death,
Form:
Free verse
Massive heads dipping low to the ground,
teeth cropping every last blade of grass,
shaggy beasts that don’t hurry for anything,
the giants have no need to move fast.
I perched myself against the corral fence,
holding my four-year-old son in my arms,
he gazed, en rapt, by the lumbering beasts,
but still clung to me, fearful of harm.
Under a shade tree standing tall nearby
lazed a massive and long-horned male,
stretched without a care, chewing its cud,
swishing aimlessly at flies with his tail.
The big bull stared straight at the two of us,
for his posture I saw he had no fear,
he was the only bison truly safe,
they used him to breed cows every year.
Nearby those cows sat down in the dirt,
no need to move about in the hot sun,
but gangly caves with tawnier coats
trotted ’round-and-’round seeking some fun.
They were not the nicest smelling of beasts,
their coats matted with old straw and dust,
but you can get away with being filthy
when you’re two thousand pounds and built tough.
There are some other meat animals here,
far out back six big elk took their stance,
they’re tasty too, but to all nearby towns
this has always been The Bison Ranch.
Seeing our fill, we walked up to the store,
which sold the meat, and western-themed toys,
got a straw cowboy hat for my little guy,
and for me? A huge chunk of strip-loin…
We are eating steak tonight!
Categories:
bison, animal, farm, father son,
Form:
Cowboy Poetry
In pre-historic times
Man painted on walls
the things he wished
for.Food.Success
So holy was this act
it migrated to churches.
Success.Power.
What we wish for.
Eastern art contains
natures elements.
A mountain.A river.
Our peaceful dreams.
Art is important.
Everybody loves it.
Categories:
bison, art, devotion, history, philosophy,
Form:
Free verse
Brutish bison stepped on my left foot today
Making me less merry, forcing me to delay
It weighed a ton, so what could I do?
I yelled “Get off of my tennis shoe!”
Skittish bison got startled and galloped away
My toe is broken, bleeding, its nail is turning gray.
So, I cannot come over for my play date today.
Maybe you should invite my cousin Jay.
Categories:
bison, word play,
Form:
Rhyme
Bison buy some but ain't no more
General Sherman closed the Great Plains’ store
Categories:
bison, environment, history,
Form:
Couplet
...Bob’s gun went off with a resounding bang,
the bull lurched, then slumped slowly to the snow.
Bob let out a loud cry of primal joy,
and down to his kill the three of us did go.
He gave up a short chant in the Pawnee tongue,
then pulled out his knife and got to work,
Gus called in to let the meat-cutters now,
when Bob reared up from the kill with a jerk.
He had cut a piece of the bull’s liver,
and he proceeded to eat the chunk raw,
don’t know if it was tradition or not…
one of the strangest things I ever saw.
Gus seemed to take the act all in stride,
then motioned me to come follow him out,
now was my chance to get myself a bill,
and I tell you my heart was beating loud.
We did not do back to where the truck sat,
just proceeded down a low ridge on foot,
Gus knew of another who hung out close,
we moved fast, the morning light was quite good.
It took nearly forty minutes to track
to the spot where we found the aging bull,
he pawed at hard snow, looking for grass,
his head huge, his form covered in wool.
This was the moment I’d been dreaming of,
I was too excited to feel much fear,
took my aim with an antique Sharp’s rifle,
the sort that was used by the pioneers.
Off went the gun! The round hit hard and fast,
but the massive beast did not drop right there,
he charged angrily, and Gus screamed,”Move it!”
we booked booked it, heading for anywhere
But the charge was just a final outburst,
the big bull slowed and collapsed on his side,
by the time we stopped and turned to see it,
the aging bison had already died.
I took home a hide I used for a coat,
and ample meat, bison sure does grill well,
also the horns, but the best thing I got
was one hell of a story to tell…
Categories:
bison, adventure, animal, dream, imagery,
Form:
Narrative
clumps of blow on fur
side to side their heads plow snow
in Yellowstone
Categories:
bison, animal, winter,
Form:
Haiku
It is odd that I have made it this many years without the knowledge that I needed a bison belt. Hank’s sells one with a one hundred year warranty. My parents should have given me one fifty years ago. But I’m going to live forever, so I figured, sure, why not. They need to up their game, go for the two hundred year guarantee. They can call it the bison-tennial edition…
Categories:
bison, clothes,
Form:
Narrative
Where have all the bison gone
shot by Sharps shooters nearly every one
where have all the shooters gone
done away by Indians more than some
the red man revered the buffalo
of Manitou's abundance living proof
to the white who sent them
to the not-so-happy-hunting grounds
a gold mine on the hoof
the paleface ways in olden days long gone
were somewhat less than perfect
and should be frowned upon
to soldiers bison were target practice
indigenous people to quell
while hunters killed for the hides
by 1884 the Black Hills buffalo death knell
lies were spoken treaties broken
but revenge was none too soon at hand
Sioux Cheyenne Arapaho attacked
and briefly turned the tide
on what was their rightful land
beside the Little Bighorn
one frightful day at Custer's last stand
Categories:
bison, animal, death, environment,
Form:
Rhyme