Western Movies

Ride me away on another cliché where
The sun settles soft at the end of the day
As the good guys, the bad guys and
          All in between
Paint the tale of an era played out on the screen.

With hokum and smoke ‘em and
          Horses and cattle,
Coyotes yappin’ and Injuns to battle,
Six-guns ablazin’ and
Pretty gals cooin’,
Pot-bellied sheriffs who ride to their ruin.
Men in white hats atop swift golden steeds
Chasing bad men in black whose hearts fill with greed.
The furious crush of a cavalry rush
With bugle and banner and sabre held high
Sweep to the rescue from manic marauders as
Victory echoes from their battle cry.

I know it was fantasy,
          Nothing quite real,
But I couldn’t escape how it all made me feel.
Saturday mornings, six-guns aflame,
          And I was a cowboy ridin’ the range.