A Tall Bush
by Gwen Petersen
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A cowgirl has a heap of fun
A ridin’ for the brand;
She rounds up cattle, ropes them calves
As good as any hand.
She wrassles dogies on the ground,
And also vaccinates;
She cuts the bulls, tattoos the ears
And keeps the tally straight.
And when the cowboys take a break
To have a pop or beer,
A cowgirl also drinks her share,
Then faces wrenching fear.
Now a cowboy does it simple style —
Just stands there by his horse,
A ponderin’ life’s meaning while
Nature takes its course.
But a cowgirl has three things she needs
While working way out West,
For riding chores, a darned good horse
Will help her do her best.
And second on the list, a dog
Who’ll jump to her command,
And heel the strays and line ‘em out,
A pup with lots of sand.
But happiness is when she finds
A tall bush thick with leaf
To shelter her and block from view
The bliss of pure relief.
© Gwen Petersen
photo by Kevin Martini-Fuller