Cowboy poetry is a form of poetry that focuses on the culture, features and lifestyle of the West, both the Old West and its modern equivalents. It is not defined by any particular scheme or structure, but by subject matter. Bust of Homer, one of the earliest European poets, in the British Museum Poetry (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... The Western United States, also referred to as the American West or simply The West, traditionally refers to the region constituting the westernmost states of the United States (see geographical terminology section for further discussion of these terms). ... Great Basin region, typical American West The Western United States has played a significant role in history and fiction. ... A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyming lines in a poem. ...

Cowboy poetry grew out of a tradition of extemporaneous composition carried on by workers on cattle drives and ranches. After a day of work, cowboys would gather around a campfire and entertain one another with tall tales and folk songs. Illiteracy was common, so poetic forms were employed to aid memory. Ranching is the raising of cattle or sheep on rangeland, although one might also speak of ranching with regard to less common livestock such as elk, bison or emu. ... A cowboy (Spanish vaquero) tends cattle and horses on cattle ranches in North and South America. ... A tall tale is a story that claims to explain the reason for some natural phenomenon, or sometimes illustrates how skilled/intelligent/powerful the subject of the tale was. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. ... Literacy is the ability to use text to communicate across space and time. ...

Contrary to common belief, cowboy poetry does not actually have to be written by cowboys, though adherents would claim that authors should have some connection to the cowboy life such that they can write poetry with an "insider's perspective".

Typical themes of cowboy poetry include:

• Ranch work and those who perform it
• Western lifestyle
• Landscape of the American West
• Cowboy values and practices
• Humorous anecdotes
• Memories of times and people long gone

The following is a verse from LaVerna Johnson's poem "Homestead", which exhibits traditional cowboy poetry features:

We hear calls of cattle lowing, voices carry on the breeze

As it wanders down the canyon, then meanders through the trees.

While we stop to smell the sage, light shimmers "quakie's" golden leaves,

And it sure feels good to be back home again.

(Note the use of cowboy vernacular such as meander and quakie.)

Though it deals with those who work with livestock and nature, it would be incorrect to categorize cowboy poetry as pastoral. Cowboy poetry is noted for its romantic imagery, but at no time does it sacrifice realism in favor of it. Sheep are commonly bred as livestock. ... Titians The Pastoral Concert Pastoral refers to the lifestyle of shepherds. ...

Few examples of experimental verse are known in cowboy poetry. One argument is that cowboy poetry is meant to be recited and should "sound like poetry". The counter-argument runs that imposing a particular structure on cowboy poetry would move the focus away from the subject matter. Regardless, most cowboy poets stay within more classical guidelines.

Cowboy poetry continues to be written and celebrated today. Baxter Black is probably the most famous, and possibly the most prolific, contemporary cowboy poet. Many cities in the United States have annual "roundups" dedicated to cowboy poetry. Baxter Black (born January 2, American cowboy, poet, and radio commentator. ...

Prominent cowboy poets

• Clayton Atkin
• Baxter Black
• Arthur Chapman
• Badger Clark
• D.W. Groethe
• LaVerna Johnson
• Wally McRae
• Red Steagal
• Hilma Volk
• Paul Zarsyski

In addition, Robert W. Service is sometimes classified as a cowboy poet. Baxter Black (born January 2, American cowboy, poet, and radio commentator. ... Arthur Chapman (born 1873, deceased 1935) was an early twentieth century American poet and newspaper columnist. ... Robert William Service (January 16, 1874 – September 11, 1958) was a poet born into a Scottish family while they were living in Preston, England. ...

See also

• Cowboy
• Rodeo

A cowboy (Spanish vaquero) tends cattle and horses on cattle ranches in North and South America. ... Steer roping Rodeo is a traditional folk North American sport with influences from the history of Mexican vaqueros (cowboys) and American cowboys. ...

External links

• Cowboy and Western Poetry at the Bar-D Ranch
• Jim Janke's Old West Cowboy Poetry
• Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering