 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(November 2018) |
Cowboy poetry is a form of poetry that grew from a tradition of cowboys telling stories. [1]
Contrary to common belief, cowboy poetry does not actually have to be written by cowboys, though adherents would claim that authors should have some connection to the cowboy life such that they can write poetry with an "insider's perspective". One example of a popular "cowboy poem" written by a non-cowboy is "The Ride of Paul Venarez" by Eben E. Rexford, a 19th-Century freelance author.
Newcomers are surprised to hear that cowboy poetry is contemporary. Many poets tend to focus on the historic cowboy lifestyle, historical events and the humorous aspects of the cowboy life style. However, the work that cowboys do continues. The cowboy lifestyle is a living tradition that exists in western North America and other areas, thus, contemporary cowboy poetry is still being created, still being recited, and still entertaining many at cowboy poetry gatherings, around campfires and cowboy poetry competitions. Much of what is known as "old time" country music originates from the rhyming couplet style often seen in cowboy poetry along with guitar music.
Typical themes of cowboy poetry include:[ citation needed ]
The following is a verse from LaVerna Johnson's poem "Homestead", which exhibits traditional cowboy poetry features:
We hear calls of cattle lowing, voices carry on the breeze
As it wanders down the canyon, then meanders through the trees.
While we stop to smell the sage, light shimmers "quakie's" golden leaves,
And it sure feels good to be back home again.
(Note the use of cowboy vernacular such as quakie (Populus tremuloides, trembling poplar or aspen known as a "quakie tree")).
Though it deals with those who work with livestock and nature, it would be incorrect to categorize cowboy poetry as pastoral. Cowboy poetry is noted for its romantic imagery, but at no time does it sacrifice realism in favor of it.
Few examples of experimental verse are known in cowboy poetry. One argument is that cowboy poetry is meant to be recited and should "sound like poetry." The counter-argument runs that imposing a particular structure on cowboy poetry would move the focus away from the subject matter. Regardless, most cowboy poets stay within more classical guidelines, especially rhyming verse. Free verse poetry is uncommon in cowboy poetry.
Cowboy poetry continues to be written and celebrated today. Baxter Black is probably the most famous, and possibly the most prolific, contemporary cowboy poet. In addition to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering held every year in Elko, Nevada, as well as the second largest cowboy poetry gathering, the Lone Star Cowboy Poetry Gathering, held annually in Alpine, TX, many cities in the United States and Canada have annual "roundups" dedicated to cowboy poetry. Cowboy Poetry week is celebrated each April in the United States and Canada. [2]
In addition, Robert W. Service is sometimes classified as a cowboy poet.[ by whom? ]
Famed spoken-word artist Bingo Gazingo has done at least one cowboy poem, "Everything's OK at the OK Corral."
Poetry, also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, a prosaic ostensible meaning. A poem is a literary composition, written by a poet, using this principle.
Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person.
Elko is a city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Elko County. As of the official 2020 U.S. Census, the city has a population of 20,564. Elko serves as the center of the Ruby Valley, a region with a population of over 55,000. Elko is 21 miles (34 km) from Lamoille Canyon and the Ruby Mountains, providing year round access to recreation including hiking, skiing, hunting, and more than 20 alpine lakes. The city straddles the Humboldt River. Spring Creek, Nevada, serves as a bedroom community 6 miles (10 km) from the city with a population of 13,805.
This article focuses on poetry from the United Kingdom written in the English language. The article does not cover poetry from other countries where the English language is spoken, including Republican Ireland after December 1922.
Canadian poetry is poetry of or typical of Canada. The term encompasses poetry written in Canada or by Canadian people in the official languages of English and French, and an increasingly prominent body of work in both other European and Indigenous languages.
Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language, and a part of the Chinese literature. While this last term comprises Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Yue Chinese, and other historical and vernacular forms of the language, its poetry generally falls into one of two primary types, Classical Chinese poetry and Modern Chinese poetry.
Japanese poetry is poetry typical of Japan, or written, spoken, or chanted in the Japanese language, which includes Old Japanese, Early Middle Japanese, Late Middle Japanese, and Modern Japanese, as well as poetry in Japan which was written in the Chinese language or ryūka from the Okinawa Islands: it is possible to make a more accurate distinction between Japanese poetry written in Japan or by Japanese people in other languages versus that written in the Japanese language by speaking of Japanese-language poetry. Much of the literary record of Japanese poetry begins when Japanese poets encountered Chinese poetry during the Tang dynasty. Under the influence of the Chinese poets of this era Japanese began to compose poetry in Chinese kanshi); and, as part of this tradition, poetry in Japan tended to be intimately associated with pictorial painting, partly because of the influence of Chinese arts, and the tradition of the use of ink and brush for both writing and drawing. It took several hundred years to digest the foreign impact and make it an integral part of Japanese culture and to merge this kanshi poetry into a Japanese language literary tradition, and then later to develop the diversity of unique poetic forms of native poetry, such as waka, haikai, and other more Japanese poetic specialties. For example, in the Tale of Genji both kanshi and waka are frequently mentioned. The history of Japanese poetry goes from an early semi-historical/mythological phase, through the early Old Japanese literature inclusions, just before the Nara period, the Nara period itself, the Heian period, the Kamakura period, and so on, up through the poetically important Edo period and modern times; however, the history of poetry often is different from socio-political history.
Arabic poetry is one of the earliest forms of Arabic literature. Present knowledge of written poetry in Arabic dates from the first century BCE to the first century CE, but oral poetry is much older.
Wallace D. "Wally" McRae is an American rancher, cowboy, cowboy poet and philosopher. He runs the 30,000-acre (120 km2) Rocker Six Cattle Co. ranch on Rosebud Creek, south of Rosebud, Montana.
S. Omar Barker, was an American cowboy poet, politician rancher, and teacher in New Mexico. He published many books, including Vientos de las Sierras (1924), Buckaroo Ballads (1928) and Rawhide Rhymes: Singing Poems of the Old West.
Vietnamese poetry originated in the form of folk poetry and proverbs. Vietnamese poetic structures include Lục bát, Song thất lục bát, and various styles shared with Classical Chinese poetry forms, such as are found in Tang poetry; examples include verse forms with "seven syllables each line for eight lines," "seven syllables each line for four lines", and "five syllables each line for eight lines." More recently there have been new poetry and free poetry.
Henry Real Bird, a member of the Crow Nation, is a poet.
Vess Quinlan is an American cowboy poet, whose work has been published in many books and magazines, as well as on various online poetry databases. His writing is based on his real life experiences as a rancher.
Bruce Douglas "Waddie" Mitchell is an American cowboy poet. He sometimes performs his poems with a guitarist playing in the background. Mitchell has made eight CDs including That No Quit Attitude, Lone Drifting Rider and his most recent, Sweat Equity.He and cowboy singer and friend Don Edwards released The Bard and the Balladeer Live From Cowtown. Mitchell has written four books, Waddie's Whole Load, A Cowboy's Night Before Christmas, Lone Driftin' Rider and a 2015 compilation One Hundred Poems. He was chosen to write a poem describing the West for the 2002 Winter Olympics' Olympic Arts Festival. He is a co-founder of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
Paul Zarzyski is a cowboy poet and educator. He is a former bareback bronc rider.
The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, is an annual gathering celebrating cowboy poetry produced by the Western Folklife Center, that takes place in Elko, Nevada, United States.
Gary McMahan is an American Western music singer-songwriter, yodeler, humorist and cowboy poet, known for his wide-ranging influence in post-19th century Western music and poetry, and for writing "The Old Double Diamond", which members of the Western Writers of America chose as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
Buck Ramsey, born Kenneth Melvin Ramsey, was an American cowboy poet and singer. He earned a national reputation for preserving cowboy lore and traditions.
The Western Folklife Center is a nonprofit cultural center in Elko, Nevada that hosts exhibits, theater, music, and poetry events that celebrate the history and landscape of the American West. Every year the center hosts the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
Olivia Romo is an American poet, spoken word artist, and water rights activist from Taos, New Mexico. Her work centers on the cultural significance of water within Northern New Mexico's agricultural communities, particularly focusing on the acequia irrigation system. Romo's upbringing in a family that valued land, culture, and history deeply influenced her creative journey. With a dual degree in English and Chicana and Chicano Studies from the University of New Mexico, she is well-equipped to blend her artistic expression with social advocacy.
