WYOMING COWBOY POETRY
>
> Jake, the rancher, went one day to fix a distant
> fence..
> The wind was cold and gusty and the clouds rolled
> gray and dense,
> as he pounded the last staples in and gathered tools
> to go,
> The temperature had fallen and the snow began to
> blow.
>
> When he finally reached his pickup, he felt a heavy
> heart,
> from the sound of that ignition, he knew it wouldn't
> start.
> So Jake did what most of us do, if we'd have been
> there;
> He humbly bowed his balding head and sent aloft a
> prayer.
>
> As he turned the key for the last time,
> he softly cursed his luck,
> They found him three days later,
>
> frozen stiff in that old truck.
>
> Now Jake had been around in life and done his share
> of roamin,'
> But when he saw Heaven, he was shocked -- it look
> just like Wyomin'!
> Oh, there were some differences of course, but just
> some minor things,
>
> One place had simply disappeared -- the town they
> called Rock Springs.
>
> The BLM had been shut down, and there was no grazin'
> fees,
>
> and the wind in Rawlins and Cheyenne was now a
> gentle breeze.
> The Park and Forest Service folks -- they didn't
> fare so well,
>
> They'd all been sent to fight some fire in a
> wilderness called Hell.
>
> Though Heaven was a real nice place, Jake had a
> wondering mind,
> So he saddled up and lit a shuck, not know'n what
> he'd find.
> Then one day up in Cody, on a cold fall afternoon,
> He saw St. Peter coming, and he knew he'd be there
> soon.
>
>
> Of all the saints in Heaven, his favorite was St.
> Peter,
> Now, this line, it ain't needed but it helps with
> rhyme and meter.
> So they set and talked a minute or two, or maybe it
> was three,
> Nobody was keepin' score -- in Heaven time is free.
>
>
> "I've always heard," Jake said to Pete, "that God
> will answer prayers,
> But one time I asked for help, well he just plain
> wasn't there.
> Does God answer prayers of some, and ignores the
> prayers of others?
> That don't seem exactly square -- I know all men are
> brothers.
>
>
> Or does he randomly reply, without good rhyme or
> reason?
> Maybe, it's the time of day, the weather or the
> season.
> Now I ain't trying to act smart, it's just the way I
> feel,
> And I was wonderin', could you tell -- what the
> heck's the deal?
>
>
> Peter listened very patiently and when Jake was
> done,
> There were smiles of recognition, and he said, "So,
> you're the one!
> That day your truck, it wouldn't start, and you sent
> your prayer a flying,
> You gave us all a real bad time, with hundreds of us
> a trying.
>
>
> A thousand angels rushed to check the status of your
> file,
> But you know, Jake, we hadn't heard from you in
> quite a while
> And though all prayers are answered, and God ain't
> got no quota,
> He didn't recognize your voice, and started a truck
> in North Dakota!
olefish
