The following poem written by Ashtynn Stringham was the winner of this year’s Wayne High School Cowboy/Cowgirl Poetry Contest.
MY GRANDPA IS A COWBOY
by Ashtynn Stringham
My grandpa is a cowboy.
He rides a horse, changes pipe, and tackles many chores.
He fixes fence, maintains the tractor, and doctors livestock sores.
He’s handy with the pliers; he can curse like no other.
He’s smart and strong, and he works with his brother.
My grandpa truly believes that life’s not about stuff.
It’s about working really hard and being really tough.
My grandpa is a cowboy.
He is filled with aches and pains,
But I have never once, ever, heard a complaint.
I think he might like to find a way to retire,
But that is impossible because he’s filled with the fire
Of keeping the tradition of cowboying alive and well.
He won’t ever stop, he probably won’t sell.
My grandpa is a cowboy.
His land and his trucks, his horses, guns, dogs, tractors, and cows
Are things that he wants to be able to pass down
To my cousins, my sister, and yes, even to me.
We all love and appreciate him and work hard to be
Worthy of the legacy he has given to us all.
My grandpa, a cowboy, my hero, is a least fifty feet tall.