THE PACING MUSTANG

a mustang tale from the old west told to me by my grandmother...

THE PACING MUSTANG

when ranchers and hired men gather
around the fire pit at night many tales are told,
 with awe and wonder
of great horses no man could hold...

in the bunk houses and dining halls
of our great southwestern land,
they shared the legend of a pacing white stallion
and his tough mustang band...
 
when  cowboys chased him
they could hardly believe,
how swiftly the stallion paced
behind the galloping mares with no reprieve...

a reward for his capture
was placed on his head,
five thousand dollars
was the amount said...

many a tough wrangler
mounted on his best horse,
set out to capture the wily stud
without remorse...

when one man could not do it
they set up a relay,
a hundred good men
carefully spaced along the way...

they flushed the stallion and his mares
from a small southern valley at the break of day,
the band stayed together
until the stallion realized he was the only prey...

he quit the band on the high desert plateau
pacing north and north west,
into the sunset he raced
to vanish completely over a crest...

cowboys and indians still tell this tale
of the brave pacing mustang,
and the neverending trail
disappearing forever in moonsilver and dust...