As a pastor of Mountain Top Cowboy Church I have discovered that there is little material designed specifically for cowboy churches or cowboy ministries. Although I have been in the ministry for 14 years I had never considered writing a book however the Lord had other plans. In October of 2009 I broke my leg while competing at a 40 and over bull riding which required surgery. I do not believe that it was God's plan for me to ride a bull at the age of 46 but this book is an example that the Lord will use every situation we are in for good if we will allow Him to use us. During my time of recovery I started writing poems and short stories about my rodeo days then it turned to cowboy poetry. In the beginning it was a way to pass the time and deal with my situation. As I continued to write I began to relate my poems to scripture and it was then that the Lord truly began to use them to reach others. After sharing a few with my church I discovered that they could be a useful tool in cowboy churches and ministries or those in the western culture. This book of poems and proverbs is just another example of the Lord's Grace and Mercy in my life; it is because of His love that I am On The Trail

On The Trail

Christian Cowboy Poems and ProverbsBy Brad Curtis

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Brad Curtis
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-9003-0

Contents

Dedication.............................................viiFOREWORD...............................................TP1ξTP1TC1[PREFACE]TC1 xiiiOVER THE EDGE..........................................1DEATH IN THE DESERT....................................6BACK AT THE RANCH......................................10HONESTY IS NOT THE ACCEPTED POLICY.....................12THE DRIVE..............................................17THE CLOSING OF THE TRIPLE 6 SALOON.....................20THE BAR-SIN RANCH......................................23THREE DAYS' RIDE.......................................28RUSTLERS REDEEMED......................................31THE FALLEN ROUND UP....................................33SILENT SPURS...........................................34RIDING DOUBLE..........................................35THE PICK-UP MAN........................................36PROTECTOR..............................................38TRUE TREASURES.........................................40MY FAIR LADY...........................................43GOOD HORSES, BAD COWBOY................................45INHERITANCE............................................50CAPTAIN COWBOY.........................................53NEVER BE ANOTHER.......................................55LISTENING TO CHRIS.....................................58THE LITTLE PAINT.......................................61BROKEN.................................................63ONE BAD BUCKAROO.......................................64THE UNHAPPY TRAIL......................................66PARDNERS FOR ETERNAL LIFE..............................67SPRING CLEANING........................................69THE RANCH..............................................71THE STRAY..............................................73THE CULL...............................................75IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT..............................77COWBOY PAUL............................................79THE OUTLAWS............................................81THE LITTLE MARE........................................83TOP HAND...............................................85COWBOY PROVERBS........................................87

Chapter One

    OVER THE EDGE

    I pulled up on the reins,
    Slid him to a stop,
    Sat back in the saddle,
    Looking at a long, hard drop

    Beads of sweat rose up
    Beneath my hat's brim
    Heart pounding
    There at the valley rim

    My bay shook beneath me,
    As if to get my attention
    Or maybe to relax and
    Release some tension

    Then he turned his head,
    Seemed to look at me
    Maybe to question
    The challenge—did I see?

    I looked all around
    Just two trails to the other side
    The choice seemed quite easy
    Knowing the bay that I did ride

    One trail around the rim
    Was narrow and quite long
    The other over the edge—
    There was a lot that could go wrong

    If I chose the narrow way
    It would be a long trip
    However, over the edge,
    Half the distance I could skip

    Wanting to take the shortcut,
    I picked a spot to go over
    This should not be that hard
    For one who is a drover

    The first step over the edge
    My little bay did not want to make
    Had to give him the spurs,
    A gouge and a rake

    So he took me over,
    Headed down valley wall
    Not much room for error
    He seemed to be at a crawl

    With every step
    I just gave my bay his head
    He knew where we were;
    Sure-footed, well bred

    Now rocks and dirt
    Slid beneath my bay
    He had brought me this far
    Without even a sway

    But about halfway down
    I knew I had chosen wrong
    It was steeper than I thought
    Though my bay was strong

    We were now in some brush
    It hid the rocky trail
    For the first time,
    My bay felt a bit frail

    When he slipped the first time,
    I cursed and gasped for air
    Then the second time,
    I finally questioned why we were there

    Now at that point
    There was no turning back
    The sun was going down,
    The valley growing black

    Then came the point
    My bay drew to a halt
    He knew what was ahead, and
    We both knew who was at fault

    I grabbed the horn,
    With my split reins, I did whip
    It was then my bay stumbled
    This was the last slip

    As my bay fell,
    My mind began to race
    I knew death was there
    In darkened valley place

    He rolled over me,
    Then slid down the valley wall
    Before I quit rolling,
    His name I began to call

    There on the valley floor,
    I found my bay-horse friend
    His eyes had that look
    His life was near its end

    He then looked up at me,
    Not to blame ... maybe to say good-bye
    There in that dark valley
    I watched my friend die

    As I gathered my things,
    Saddle, tack, and gear,
    I headed out of the valley
    Looking back with a tear

    As I stumbled walking,
    There in that dark place
    I came to a truth—
    One I had to face

    I was here in this valley
    Because I did not choose the narrow way
    Trying to take a shortcut
    Had led me astray

    The trail I chose
    Was a costly one
    Here in this dark valley,
    No light from the sun

    The trail over the edge
    Not only affected me this day
    But the choice to go that route
    Took the life of my bay

    Wandering there in dark,
    I had to lighten the load
    Saddle and tack were now lost
    As my pace had slowed

    As a new day broke,
    I wandered the valley
    My mind was spinning
    The cost I did tally

    Broken would not describe
    How this cowboy felt
    The hand that I had
    Was one I had dealt

    Lost, hungry, and thirsty,
    Having lost my best friend,
    The valley had almost gotten me
    Could this be my end?

    As I stumbled
    In the valley dark and deep,
    I encountered a shepherd
    However, he had no sheep

    Now this ol' cowboy
    Was humbled to say the least
    This shepherd not only showed me the way,
    He prepared me a feast

    I then had to ask
    The shepherd about his flock
    The answer that was given,
    My life it did rock

    He said, Cowboy
    If you'll bow and pray,
    You will be in my flock and
    I'll show you the narrow way

    I now had another choice
    To follow and be led
    Or stay there in the valley,
    The Valley of the Dead

    So it was there in the valley
    With walls dark and steep
    That this broken cowboy
    Became a Shepherd's sheep

    Matthew 14:28–30


    DEATH IN THE DESERT

    I had been riding hard
    Determined not to look behind
    Afraid of what was coming
    No safety could I find

    Asking a lot
    From my stolen steed
    There among the sand
    And tumbling weed

    I ran him into the ground
    Stepped off and began to run
    The one that pursued me
    Knew all that I had done

    My pursuer
    No longer could I see
    He was still back there
    Never to let me be

    With the heat beating down
    Would this be the day
    That he would catch me
    And the price I would have to pay?

    Now in the desert
    Death upon my face
    No life around
    Here in the desolate place

    Falling face down
    Choking on the sand
    Shadows circling around me
    The time was at hand

    It was then he caught me
    Time to pay for my mistake
    My pursuer was about to strike
    The old deadly snake

    Just then he rode up
    A cowboy like I had never seen
    Riding on a white horse
    That was muscled-up and lean

    Dressed in a robe
    Long hair and sandals on his feet
    With the look of a king
    I no longer felt the heat

    As he stepped off
    He crushed the snake's head
    Then said, Cowboy, get up
    Your pursuer is defeated and dead

    As I got up
    No longer gasping for air
    I had to ask this cowboy
    What had brought him there

    I am here
    To show you love
    Not only from me
    But from my father above

    He then got his canteen and said,
    Drink and you will never thirst
    Drank of his water
    Thought I would burst

    It seemed to never empty
    Where did he get this canteen?
    Always full of water
    Fresh, cool, and clean

    Then from his saddlebags
    He pulled out a loaf of bread
    Not offering me crumbs
    But a feast I was fed

    He then told me
    Of all my crimes
    The ones I had committed
    Oh so many times

    It was then
    He looked in my eyes
    Told me he had a gift
    Not an earned prize

    Then he asked
    If I would believe
    He said he offered redemption
    It was mine to receive

    Falling to my knees humbled
    Tears falling to the sand
    He reached out and touched me
    With his scarred hands

    As I stood up
    Feeling like a new man
    This strange cowboy
    Told me he had for me a plan

    He said, Cowboy
    Go tell others about me
    You will be my witness
    From sea to sea

    It was then I noticed
    Two more white horses at his side
    One was a pack horse
    The other was to ride

    He told me their names
    Mercy and Grace
    He had brought them for me
    To ride out of the deadly place

    As I rode out of the valley
    Riding Grace who he'd put me on
    Followed by Mercy
    I knew my sin was gone

    Now traveling the land
    To tell about the one from above
    The one who did not come to condemn
    But to show this cowboy love

    John 3:17


    BACK AT THE RANCH

    He had been a fisherman
    Sailed the high seas
    One day at port
    A cowboy said, Follow me

    Ol' Pete went along
    Asking questions all the way
    The cowboy told him,
    You'll be my foreman one day

    This was no ordinary cowboy
    He was not from the West
    His cattle were all strays
    But his horses were the best

    His crew was a sight to see
    None would be called a top hand
    But they listened to the Boss
    All were riding for the brand

    He showed them how to rope a stray
    And how to dehorn
    When they took the brand
    It was like being reborn

    But the other ranchers
    Did not like the Boss
    Every stray he gathered up
    They counted as loss

    The Boss told the crew,
    They will destroy my spread
    But no need to worry
    You just keep the herd fed

    Ol' Pete spoke up
    Letting everyone know,
    I'd die for you, Boss
    By morning he was eatin' crow

    Then a lynch mob showed up
    Dragged the Boss into town
    His cowboy hat was replaced
    With a thorny crown

    There in the town square
    For everyone to see
    Between two crooks
    They hung him from a tree

    The crew headed to the ranch
    Talking along the way
    Pete said, I've tried cowboying
    I'm going back to fishing today

    John 21:3


    HONESTY IS NOT THE
    ACCEPTED POLICY

    The year was 1985,
    I was entered in a bucking horse sell
    The place was Tulsa, Oklahoma
    Here my story I have to tell

    As I approached him,
    I was waiting on the lie
    Most stock contractors do it,
    No matter if they are good guys

    Not really expecting the truth,
    I have to admit
    I thought I would ask,
    Just to see what I would get

    Then something happened
    That sticks with me to this day
    When I asked about my bronc
    This is what he had to say

    He started by saying,
    Son, she's pretty bad
    Never knew anyone to draw her
    Who was really glad

    She's that little sorrel,
    The one with three white socks
    To be honest,
    She really fights the box

    If you get out on her,
    My words I will not mince
    She will circle to the left,
    Then she will hit the fence

    Now if you're still with her,
    She'll drop her head and swoop right
    After that we're not sure,
    No one's lasted that long in the fight

    My head dropped in self-pity,
    Thinking on what I had learned
    I was in need of good news
    When would it be my turn?

    I headed to my truck
    To grab my cowboy gear
    He yelled out with a laugh
    So all around could hear

    He said, I forgot to tell you,
    As I walked out of sight
    About that little mare,
    Watch her—she really likes to bite

    There at my truck,
    Thinking about my task
    If I did not want the truth,
    Well, I guess I shouldn't have asked

    Surely it couldn't be that bad,
    At least that's what I thought
    As I headed to the arena
    To spur the bronc he'd brought

    They ran her in the chute
    She began to start her fight
    If I were to be honest,
    She was a scary sight

    One of my buddies there
    Tried to get a neck rope on her
    I had not told him what I'd learned
    From this little bronc's owner

    That's when she bit him
    On his left shoulder
    As it turned out,
    The rope wouldn't hold her

    They then motioned to me
    To get my riggin' on this nightmare
    This was the baddest bronc I'd encountered,
    To that, I would swear

    After quite a battle
    And suggestions from every so-called hand
    I was easing my way into the chute
    It was then they fired up the band

    Every cowboy scattered
    Like a covey of quail
    She was plum evil
    From mane to tail

    As she flipped over and mashed me
    Into the back of the chute
    I started thinking about a new job,
    One where I could wear a tie and suit

    It was then one of my buddies
    Pushed my hat down tight
    He said, Cowboy up
    Spur this bronc tonight

    That's when I got that feeling,
    My chest began to swell
    She's the one that had drawn badly
    Here at this buckin' horse sell

    I finally got mounted
    Time to see what else she could do
    All that the contractor told me
    Simply could not be true

    They threw the gate open,
    This mare, she came apart
    The next thing that happened
    Almost broke my heart

    She circled to the left,
    Then she hit the fence
    My mind was still spinning
    None of this made any sense

    She was doing ...
    Well, what the stock contractor said
    To be honest,
    I thought he was messing with my head

    It was then she ducked right
    I spurred over her neck
    What happened next can only be described
    As a wild cowboy wreck

    When it was all over,
    My body was blue and red
    As for my chaps and shirt,
    They were in need of needle and thread

    There I was in the arena,
    In a bloody torn-up pile
    The contractor could be heard laughing
    At least for a country mile

    All eyes were on me
    There was no place for me to hide
    Still in shock and disbelief
    I had met a stock contractor who hadn't lied

    As I limped out of the arena,
    All would have to agree
    I had been humbled by this bronc
    For all there to see

    The lesson that I learned that night,
    Years ago in my youth
    Is often we ask questions
    Not willing to hear the truth

    So, cowboy, when you're on bended knee
    And crying out to the Lord
    Be prepared for him to tell you the truth,
    And it shouldn't be ignored

        John 15:7


    THE DRIVE

    The day had been long and hard
    As we pushed the herd
    Horse and cowboy tired
    Both needed to be spurred

    At the entrance of the valley
    I was riding drag
    Dust thick and heavy
    Enough to make you gag

    Pulled up on the reins
    As I did hesitate
    Heading into the valley
    Seemed dark and late

    The herd was spooked
    In this shadowy place
    I was a bit worried
    For the worst I did brace

    Alone, my mind began to wander
    Every shadow seemed to creep
    Something hiding behind the rocks
    In the valley dark and deep

    Why did we come to this valley
    There had to be a better trail
    Danger all around
    Death I could smell

    The shadows did move
    As they caught my eye
    Here in this valley
    I would surely die

    I kept pushing forward
    In this valley place
    Watching every shadow
    Not knowing what I'd face

    As I passed by
    Every shadow on the ground
    Seemed like I had won a victory
    Courage had been found

    I began to realize
    The trail boss was up ahead
    Looking out for the herd
    In the valley he had led

    Then my mind was eased
    He'd been this way before
    The valley was not that long
    This trail had much more

    Word was sent back
    We were near the valley's end
    What was on the other side
    My mind couldn't comprehend

    As I rode out of the valley
    Not losing one cow or steer
    Into a green pasture
    With a creek calm and clear

    The trail boss rode up
    With a smile on his face
    Said, If we had ridden around the valley
    We would have missed this glorious place

    The herd began to graze
    The calm water they did drink
    I sat there with peace
    Now I had time to think

    It was then I understood
    I would follow the trail boss
    If I'd have gone my way
    All would be counted as lost

    He knew the way
    All that was up ahead
    The next valley I rode through
    I would not dread

    For the drive was not over
    Many miles of trail ahead
    Trail boss out in front
    Herd and cowboys being led

    Well mounted was the trail boss
    With catch rope in hand
    Led us through the valley
    Headed to the promised land

    He had bought and paid for
    Every critter on this drive
    It was because of him
    I came through the valley alive

    Psalm 23


    THE CLOSING OF THE
    TRIPLE 6 SALOON

    We had heard of his work
    It spread across the land
    He could clean up a town
    Always took a stand

    He rode the high country
    On his father's spread
    Lived in a mansion
    Not some ol' cowboy shed

    So we sent word
    Come and save our town
    Filled with death and violence
    Is all that is found

    The day he arrived
    All felt like fools
    He came riding in
    On a borrowed mule

    Surely this couldn't be
    The man we had sent for
    He was not ready for a fight
    Much less a mighty war

    Then it was noticed
    Nothing was strapped to his side
    We had called for protection
    How could he provide?

    Now he rode up
    Stepped off that sorry mule
    Said, I am here to forgive
    And teach a golden rule

    With that he strolled in
    To the Triple 6 saloon
    There he was met
    By a Colt Dragoon

    He never flinched a muscle
    Or raised his voice
    He said simply, Cowboys,
    Today make a choice

    Follow me this day
    Ride for my dad and I
    Or stay here in the Triple 6
    Believing a hellish lie

    What I have to offer
    Is not of this earth
    An abundant life
    My life is what it's worth

    The pistol was holstered
    Triple 6 cleared out
    All stared at him
    No one had any doubt

    There they all stood
    In the middle of the street
    As he explained
    You will no longer feel the heat

    Where we are headed
    Is my father's place
    The trail we will take
    Is the one called grace

    The owner of the Triple 6
    Came running out
    His eyes full of fire
    Thinking he had clout

    He said, You men
    What do you crave?
    I can give it to you
    If you'll be my slave

    Fisher Pete spoke up
    Not to be bold and brash
    Said, Clear away
    Or we will surely clash

    In the Triple 6
    We will no longer patronize
    Going to the high country
    To grow strong and wise

    Then the new sheriff
    Said, Red Lou
    You're a thief and a liar
    These men don't belong to you

    Red Lou knew he was defeated
    As he dropped his head
    Returning to the Triple 6
    The place was truly dead

(Continues...)

Excerpted from On The Trailby Brad Curtis Copyright © 2010 by Brad Curtis. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.