Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, BREAKERS OF BRONCHOS, by LEW SARETT


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

BREAKERS OF BRONCHOS, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: So! - breakers of bronchos! - with miles of barbed wire
Last Line: Or bridle it? Or straddle the lightning flash?
Subject(s): Cowboys


So! -- breakers of bronchos! -- with miles of barbed wire fence
You seek to tame the spirit of these hills;
You hope, with your lariat of shimmering wire,
To break its heart, and with your iron heel,
Hot from the desert, to sear upon its hip
Your molten brand -- as wranglers at a round-up,
With bit and spur and lasso, strive to curb
And brand an outlaw fresh from winter range.

O breakers of bronchos -- listen! Can't you hear
The north wind sniggering at you? The coyote
Upon the mesa, jeering? The waterfall
Chuckling among the rocks? The croaking magpie,
The hooting owl, the shrike, the curlew? Look! --
The alkali lilies, the sage, the mustard weeds,
Bending with mirth, wag their heads and laugh

At you! Even the pinto cayuse kicks
His heels against the mountain sky, and snorts!
O breakers of bronchos, we fling you on the wind
This handful of dust, this bitter alkali! --
As well attempt to rope the bucking stars,
To burn your bars upon the flank of the moon!
When will you whirl your lasso at the sun?
Or bridle it? Or straddle the lightning flash?





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