Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE LONG WAY, by CHARLES BADGER CLARK JR. Poet's Biography First Line: Two miles of ridin' from the school, without a bit of trouble Last Line: That sunset fadin' yellow through the notches of the hills? Alternate Author Name(s): Clark, Badger Subject(s): Cowboys; Horseback Riding; Mountains; Travel; Hills; Downs (great Britain); Journeys; Trips | ||||||||
Two miles of ridin' from the school, without a bit of trouble The main road hit her father's ranch as straight as you could fall. I led her by a shorter cut that made the distance double And guided her along a trail that wasn't there at all. The long way, the long way, but ridin' it together I never cared a feather for the length and never shall, With happy hoofs that shuffled to the singin' saddle leather And laughin' wind that ruffled sunny miles of chaparral. The trail of our meanderin' would tire a wolf to follow; The range was hardly wide enough for us to go around. I dared to hope she liked it, bare hill and thorny hollow, And prayed that all her likin' wasn't wasted on the ground. The long way, the long way, and down the wind we drifted, And soon the sand was sifted in our tracks and they were gone, I dreamed of no forgettin' while to me her face was lifted, Nor knowed the sun was settin', for her eyes were full of dawn. Perhaps I hoped that we were lost without a trail to guide us. It shocked me like a bullet when the dogs began to bark, And suddenly, from nowhere, the ranch was there beside us, She reined away and left me, and the world was in the dark. The long way, the long way, of all my old Septembers, Gone gray like campfire embers when the midnight coyote shrills, One hour stays golden mellowdo you reckon she remembers That sunset fadin' yellow through the notches of the hills? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...RICHARD, WHAT'S THAT NOISE? by RICHARD HOWARD LOOKING FOR THE GULF MOTEL by RICHARD BLANCO RIVERS INTO SEAS by LYNDA HULL DESTINATIONS by JOSEPHINE JACOBSEN THE ONE WHO WAS DIFFERENT by RANDALL JARRELL THE CONFESSION OF ST. JIM-RALPH by DENIS JOHNSON SESTINA: TRAVEL NOTES by WELDON KEES TO H. B. (WITH A BOOK OF VERSE) by MAURICE BARING A BORDER AFFAIR by CHARLES BADGER CLARK JR. A BAD HALF HOUR by CHARLES BADGER CLARK JR. A COWBOY'S PRAYER (WRITTEN FOR MOTHER) by CHARLES BADGER CLARK JR. |
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