A Trail-Dust Thirst

That old water canteen is runnin’ mighty low

Nothin’ in sight; miles and miles yet to go

Water-holes are rare in this hard-scrabble land

No much here but rattlesnakes and miles of sand

My pony, Dan, sips some water from my hand

I have to keep him up to get across this land

The sun is baking both of us a little by the minute

This place is an oven and we’re both cookin’ in it

Centipedes and sand lizards scurrying all around

Stinging Scorpions and Sand Fleas seem to abound

This ain’t no place for the livin;’ no good place to die

We gotta get out of this hard country, my pony and I

I quit riding my pony and let him follow along behind

I can’t bear to wear him down just to get me out of a bind

He’s been a might good horse, a loyal one and true

If I save my neck, I’ll save his too; it’s the least I can do

The water is all gone now and the sun is hotter still

I’d like to rest but I must move while I have the will

It can’t be too much farther; we’ve come all this way

Surely we’ll find the lights of town by the end of day

My throat is dry; my mouth is caked with desert dust

Ol’ Dan follows along behind me; I still have his trust

The sun is setting, day is done; night’s chill to the bone

The pony and me, we can’t stop, we keep trudging on

My pony snorts; the smells water nearby somewhere

A glow over the next ridge, could a town be out there?

We quicken our step; head for the glow driven by thirst

Dan and I might just make it if we don’t drop dead first

From up the ridge we see the town; my thirsty pony nickers

Light of the coal-oil fueled lamps against the night sky flickers

We struggle to run that final short distance, my pony and me

To get to the water in that wood trough by the old Oak tree

We reach the trough and drink from it deep, me and my roan

Lots of curious folks gather about wonderin’ what’s going on

I get up off my knees and wipe the excess water from my chin

Look back at the trough and for a moment think of divin’ in

I say nothing; the folks all stare, like they ain’t seen thirst before

I rein Ol’ Dan and head him in the direction of the livery door

We’ll bed down for the night and get some much needed rest

Then tomorrow we’ll gather our wits and keep on headin’ west

©Copyright WBrown2012. All Rights Reserved.

19 April 2012