The Weather-Worn Cowboy That Was [Wise Man]

Bleh

One day he said to me,

In a whisper of a voice,

Dove, we may be just human,

  But with every decision comes a choice.

His voice how it rasped,

It was decades old and frayed,

It won’t matter where at night you laid,

He said,

So long it’s you who made the bed.

This man wore sun-browned skin,

Like the broken rings of his roots,

Don’t walk in another man’s boots,

He made known,

Until that is you can fill your own. 

His fingers were like worn leather,

Wrapped around crooked bones,

Don’t let your last words be winter stones,

He quietly conveyed,

Ain’t no one gonna warm you but that bed you made.

His aged chuckle weakly withered,

Into a forlorn whisper born from his shaky core,

Dove, in the end we are all mindless,

Under the weight of our desire for more. 

Author's Note

Let Me Know :P

Reviews

[Muse]

The pic drew me in on this one...

Don’t let your last words be winter stones,

We call them "old"...but they stay young with their endless flow of wisdom.

[Jeremy Baker]

Complex structure and narrative, great imagery. I really enjoyed reading this! Thanks for sharing =)

[ChristianM]

A poem with a story. I like it. Been a while since I've been on here. It's refreshing to start off reviewing again with one of writerscafe more talented authors. :)

[WiLL i e]

Hey now....this is a wonderful piece of work. I've always believed it's impossible to live to be a member of our seasoned citizenry without amassing a wealth of wisdom. It's the greatest reason for the young to respect their elders. There's much to be learned from them. This is a fine example of that. Well done young queen of cool.

[MOON]

Poignant, sage words from an old soul. Love the flow and imagery.

[Xanthous Crow]

"Don't walk in another man's boots/Until that is you can fill your own." - Very sound advice. People often try to build themselves up to be something or try to put themselves into another person's position, whatever it may be, without ever realizing just what their position is. People should search inwards, rather than without, when they are looking for shoes. So to speak.

The use of descriptive imagery in this poem is amazing. The voice, raspy and flayed, by the passage and wear of age. His skin, brown and sun-beaten, stretched tight around old, crooked bones. It paints an almost sorrowful, beleaguered picture - a worn out man. And yet, the advice he gives is quite superb!

Very nicely done, my friend.

[Leslie Philibert]

This is a fine, well written poem, clever use of italics and the vocative, with lots of excellent metaphors and a great tempo.Good work.

[reflectingus]

This is...catchy! I love the rhyme, and the structure. The imagery is awesomeness wrapped with philosophical thoughts that really make you think. I think you have done a great job of powerfully telling a story/message, in such a curious way (I also love the suspense created when I wonder about the strange aged person). The ending was flawless,this whole poem is flawless, I love how you kept it succinct and spoke so much by a few inspirational words. Great job, enjoyed reading.

[Coyote Poetry]

Great wisdom in this poem. I tell people daily. Don't rate another person life unless you had walked in their shoes.
"Don’t let your last words be winter stones,
He quietly conveyed,
Ain’t no one gonna warm you but that bed you made."
Thank you for the excellent poem.
Coyote