The Rhythms of the Range
Enjoying Cowboy Poetry with Roy Smith…
When you’re bailing hay or at the height of boredom, things just start running around in your mind,” explains Roy Smith, a Shasta Valley cattle rancher with a dry sense of humor who has gained local acclaim as a cowboy poet. “You know, they started calling me that. I don’t know that I would have considered it myself, but I am a cowboy, and I am a poet, so I guess that goes together.”
Cowboy poetry is unique to America, a traditional rhyme and metered form that celebrates the distinctive landscape and culture of the American West. Its typically colorful practitioners also draw on a rich tradition of balladry and campfire stories. “Sitting around the campfire, you have to tell each other something. They might think you’re full of it, but if it rhymes, they seem to accept it a little better. Plus, they listen longer,” Smith notes with a chuckle. And, while cowboy poems often explore familiar emotional landscapes like joy, grief and humor, the subject matter generally comes from the everyday experiences in their world.
“They can explain the cowboy way of life, and the things that they experience in a picturesque way. Maybe it’s the cows or the animals when they’re out in the wilderness, but they bring those animals to life. For example, if you didn’t know, you’d think a horse would just cross water. It’s no big deal. But some animals don’t like to cross water, and so that could become the subject of a poem. They’re really good at drawing you a picture of what the cowboy life is like, and they have a way of putting unexpected humor into it. Sometimes you’re laughing along with them when maybe you should be crying,” explains Mary Beebe, the treasurer of Valley Oaks, Inc. who helps put on an annual cowboy poetry event at the Avery Theater during the first weekend in November. Smith puts it more simply. “You just look around. I mean, you got a dog, a horse, and a cow, and you just make up a story about ’em.” Smith does abide by a few rules, however. “It’s gotta rhyme. It’s also got to be clean and family-friendly, or at least subtle enough that no one gets mad.”
While there are national gatherings of cowboy poetry that take place throughout the year in faraway places like Elko, Nevada, Valley Oaks, Inc. in Greenview has made sure that Northern California’s poets can also be heard locally at least once a year. Perhaps best-known for their broad community stewardship and longstanding work with seniors, Valley Oaks holds an annual fundraising event at the Avery Theater on the first Saturday of November. “We first started doing it in 2009 or 2010, and we’ve held it every year since, except for a year or two during COVID. This year we’ll be doing an afternoon event just because it better suits the cowboys who travel from places like Happy camp, Montague and Big Springs. Everybody has a great time, and it’s very impromptu.” Smith, who has participated in the event a number of times agrees on the oft spontaneous nature of performing poetry. “There’s a little group here that’s been doing it together for 20 or 25 years. We don’t really practice beforehand because we’re too disorganized. But we’ve been doing it long enough we know each other’s poems. I’ve performed many times with Bill Roberts, and if I got stuck, he could always remember what my words were, so he’s saved me a couple of times.”
These days, Smith doesn’t perform nearly as much as he used to. “I’ve kind of run out of poems, and when you do the same one over and over, it’s kind of like telling the same joke, like ‘I’ve heard that one,’” he says. But as an audience member, Beebe appreciates the familiarity. “There’s another local poet named Butch Jones, and he does this poem where he’s making fun of his life, telling you all about going to Walmart to get a gift for his wife. But when he gets to the parking lot, it’s total chaos. And once he’s inside, he’s not used to crowds. Cowboys don’t do crowds. So, he leaves the store, and just goes back to the local grocery store, to buy her a chocolate candy bar and a chocolate rose. And that’s her gift because he made the attempt, but he couldn’t follow through. It’s a really good one. Have you heard it?”
In terms of his own most-requested poems, Smith has a couple. “There’s one called the Trip to Elko. It’s really about a trip to Reno because we were headed to Elko but never made it past Reno. There’s also one about a dog named Ol’ Blue that people usually like.” When asked whether Ol’ Blue is a good dog or bad dog, Smith is quick with his retort. “Well, now, that’s up to your discretion.”•
Ridin’ Easy
The sun peeks up o’er the mountain line,
Paintin’ the sky in a golden shine.
Saddle is tight, my boots fit right,
Feels like a mighty fine day to ride.
The trail is dusty, the breeze is light,
Coyotes yappin’ from hills in sight.
Creek’s runnin’ lazy, birds take wing,
Ain’t nothin’ like what the open plains bring.
Reins in my hand, my horse knows well,
We ride in rhythm, a tale to tell.
No rush, no fuss, just time to roam,
A saddle’s the best kind of workin’ throne.
The world slows down out here, you see,
Where the land and sky both set you free.
A cowboy’s wealth ain’t gold or fame,
It’s ridin’ trails and knowin’ his name.
So let that city life keep its grind,
I’ll take the dust, the sun, and time.
A good horse, the land, and peace so wide,
That’s what it means to enjoy the ride.
