I took this as I was flying into Amarillo

Amarillo’s Cowboy Poet

While in Amarillo, Texas this weekend for my 40th class reunion at Amarillo High School, I met a cowboy poet-I’ll call him Warren. Warren doesn’t really intend to be a poet, and he crosses the line as much as he says something you have to write down before you forget.

Warren is tall, thin and lanky. He’s about seventy-five, he’s lived hard, and he wears a large straw cowboy hat. When he talks its with an aggressive, West-Texas twang. He was bit by a large rattlesnake not long ago-he’s recovered already and that shows how tough he is-and when I tried to argue not to kill the snakes he showed pictures of his bite as it healed. He won.

While sitting outside under stars I never see in Houston and with the roar of a party from inside the building, Warren had quite a bit to say. Two things were too good to forget, and I emailed myself to remember them right then.

To appreciate the culture in the statements, the truth in them, you have to know “cowboy” culture to know truly what he was saying.

When I said, “I thought there were many very attractive women in Amarillo,” Warren interrupted and said, “Well, they are at market weight.” (That meant he was agreeing with me). I had to write that down.

When I said it had started raining, Warren said, “Of course it’s raining, the cows were laying down this morning.” Apparently it was obvious.

I want to be Warren’s friend and hear more from him.