2011 Poem A Day Challenge - Day 13

For today's prompt, write a poem that remembers an old relationship. This relationship does not have to be romantic. It could be a departed or estranged family member, old friend, former teacher, or even just someone you briefly encountered. And the relationship may have even been one-sided or seemingly insignificant to the other person. So let's all dig deep into our memory banks and see what we can draw out today.

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Gonna take a moment to sort this out. I am trying to match up the topic to where my head is at today. Today, there are two thoughts that are running through my head:

1) If you are the only person allowed to hold the key, how can you possibly expect anyone to come along and unlock your soul?

2) Learn to live a life without hesitation and without expectation

Neither of those two really go along with the topic, so you need to give me a moment to dig under my skull and find the deep, nubby roots...until I unleash someone who does not remember me in all likelihood, and is quite possibly dead at this point...

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"Cowhand"

When I was a boy
A group of us went out to a ranch
We were going to ride horses
Along open plains and forest paths

I started off on a sure mount
But was moved to a smaller horse
Who was tense and wiry
And seemed to be in distressed

About a half mile on the ride,
I lost control of the horse
It threw me off hard
Against a barbed wire fence

The horse ran the fence line
As I crumpled into tall grass
I was shaken up, and upset,
But nothing broken

I was asked to walk along
And enjoy the journey with friends
But shaken and upset
I opted to walk back to the ranch

As I passed a tall cowhand
A sniffle trickled out of me
Which prompted him to mutter,
"Shut up, you fucking crybaby"

No one else heard him
And I never told a soul
I went back to the ranch in a daze
And was alone that afternoon

I've never cried since then
Not one tear has been shed
No matter how I would hurt
No matter what I would suffer

Fathers and grandparents,
Close friends and true love,
No matter what would occur
Nothing could unearth a single tear

Somewhere in the wilderness
A cowhand walks the fence line
Keeping in his pocket
The tears of a child

J.