𝙿𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚊 𝙿𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚢 [𝚌𝚘𝚠𝚋𝚘𝚢 𝚙𝚘𝚎𝚖𝚜]

𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐

Branding

Clouds of dust danced under the herd’s feet
As the bovine snorted and yelled and kicked
At the little spotted dogs who nipped their ankles,
Ever so eager to keep the larger animals in line;
Skittish calves confused and conflicted and charging,
Overwhelmed by the unfamiliar movement pattern
And bawling at the cowboys on their Quarter Horses,
Who whooped and hollered and waved their hats in the air.

Filtering through different gates into muddy corrals,
The beasts continue to run along the pen;
Tails flicking, nostrils flaring, and sides heaving,
All eyes still trained on the cowboys sitting on the rails
Who sat and stared right back under the brim of their hats,
Chewing on a strand of straw like a cow with her cud,
Mustaches twitching and sweat beading along their brow and collar.

The relentless sun beat down on both man and cow;
Heightening the rigid tension between the peers
Both waiting for the other to make the first move
To end the strategic standoff;
Loyal dogs stood alert at their masters’ feet,
Tails wagging and tongues out, panting;
A heavy hand on my shoulder startles me.

The oldest and wisest cowboy towers there,
Eyes twinkling and wrinkles wrinkling
With kindness and a hint of amusement;
And it was then that I knew
I was just an outsider looking in,
Peering through the window of his everyday life
And wishing it could be mine.