“Slim’s Cowboy Beans” Has “Write Stuff”

 A humorous rhyme about a cowboy’s less than discriminating culinary skills has been selected by judges as the winner of  The Peak’s “The Write Stuff Challenge: The Cowboy Poem.”  J. Douglas Hinds, the author of “Slim’s Cowboy Beans,” will enjoy a two-night stay in a luxurious casita guestroom and a 50-minute spa treatment courtesy of the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale. We suggest he leave the beans at home.

Toni L. Kinney of Scottsdale will enjoy dinner for two at On the Rocks at the Boulders, including gratuities and a drink. Her lively poem, “Don’t Know Much About Cowboys,” was chosen as the second place winner. 

Donna Kline, the author of “The Old-Time Cowboy” was awarded third place.  Donna will receive a one-year Heard Museum Membership that includes unlimited admission for two adults and up to three children, discounts on purchases at the museum shop and book store, invitations to members-only exhibit previews, a subscription to the Heard Museum Journal and the Heard Museum newsletter, and more.

The three winners will each receive two $40 adult tickets for Cookout at the Ranch IX, publication of their poems in A Peek at the Peak and GPPA’s Web site, and recognition during the Cookout at the Ranch program.

“The Gal Who Gives Back: A Tribute to Florence Nelson,” was named as the runner-up by judges and will appear in the October issue of The Peak. Other cowboy poem entries will be published in subsequent issues of The Peak.

Contestants were required to write an original 100- to 300-word, fiction or nonfiction poem about cowboy and cowgirl life. The deadline for submission of entries was July 31, 2004. More than twenty poems were submitted by local writers.

We sincerely appreciate the effort that contestants invested in writing their poems. The competition was close and the judges had a difficult time selecting the three winners. Thank you, one and all.

First Place.  Slim's Cowboy Beans 

By J. Douglas Hinds 

"Gather round boys and get some grub
We've got cowboy beans a cookin'
Grab a plate and dish it up
Don't just sit there lookin'"

"Other than that just a pinch of salt
And last week's mulligan stew
Oh there might have been some other things
But just a pinch or two"

We were hunkered there around the fire
On a cold and windy night
Slim stirred the pot and poked the fire
Said "Everything's just right"

"What other things you speakin' of?
Hank blurted out in haste
"These beans stuck to the roof of my mouth
And they got a greasy taste"

Jack spooned a mess of cowboy beans
On his old enameled plate
Bill said, "What in the world is this?"
"This is the worst I ever ate"

Slim shifted his feet and cracked a smile
He weren't no gourmet chef
He'd fixed a lot of meals like this
But never caused a death

"Slim, you're the one who fixed these beans
What's that odd, unusual taste?
"Well it just might be that moldy onion
That I didn't want to waste"

"You boys just getting' picky|
Why that there's french cuisine
Don't go turnin' your nose up now
Cause it's nothin' you never seen

"But there's curry powder and mustard greens
And some okra from a can
And I probably added a thing or two
That I had right here on hand"

You're all set in your cowboy ways
Got no sense of finer things
Why I made that entire meal
With just one can of beans"

"Course there's tomater sauce and garlic cloves
And a can of stewed tomaters
And a half a pound of chili powder
And a big ole bag oftaters"

  

Second Place.  Don't Know Much About Cowboys

 By Toni L. Kinney

A poem about cowboys? Surely, you jest!
There's not much I know, about the ways of the west.

But I'll give it a try, in hopes that I win,
2 nights at Four Seasons. But, where to begin?

I know that a Stetson, is a cowboy hat.
A spittoon is for chew, that needs to be spat.

Cowboys prefer boots, I know that is true,
But why they wear spurs, I haven't a clue.

I can understand Jeans and bandanas and such,
But don't you think bolo ties are a little too much?

And what about chaps? What's up with those?
In Western apparel, it appears, anything goes.

Cowboys love their mounts ...that bond never fails.
They prefer the company of horses over that of females.

I know cowboys spend hours alone in the saddle.
Is it true they're bowlegged from something they straddle?

It's said they love wide open spaces, bright stars and fall moons.
They're at home on the prairie and in smoky saloons.

They don't laugh out loud, but merely just chuckle.
They tend to measure a man, by the size of his buckle.

I have to admit, that I feel like a dope.
Don't know a bit from a bridle, a lariat from a rope.

But, when it comes to their character, this I do know.
Cowboys are loved and admired, wherever they go.

They're respectful of country, critters and land.
They're the first to help out, when you're in need of a hand.

Cowboys are honest, dedicated and true,
I may not know much, but I thank God for YOU!

Third Place. The Old-Time Cowboy

 By Donna Kline

The cowboy of old is a dyin’ breed,
Perfectly saddled astride his grand steed.

Champion with Autry, Koko with Mix,
Rogers and Trigger thrilled all with their tricks.

Fightin’ fer justice becuz it was right.
Things was not gray, they was just black and white.

Nothin’ was hard fer this cowboy to face.
His shoulders could carry his burdens with grace.

The salt of the earth with a practical mind.
The most modest “quiet man” you’d ever find.

Ringo in “Stagecoach,” Destry, and Shane
Were part of an order of which so few remain.

Children looked up to this hero in boots.
Eager, if needed, to be his recruits.

All of God’s critters felt safe with him near.
Trustin’ this “tall man” expellin’ all fear.

Tough situations he handled with ease,
Bringin’ opponents right down to their knees.

Always respectful of the fairer sex.
A positive impact on those it affects.

This was a wonderful era we had.
Men was all men, and the women were glad.

Standin’ on principles never fer sale.
This was a noble, and unequaled male.

Near obsolete are the “rangers” of old.
If you can find one, he’s worth more than gold.

Value him greatly, and learn what you can
From this rare, magnificent, natural man.

 

 

Honorable Mention.
The Gal Who Gives Back, a Tribute to Florence Nelson

Wide open spaces appeal to you,
Being side by side with living things.
Appreciating their beauty and useful ways
And admiring the ways of their survival.
Florence, a caring woman in our far west state.

Oh gal of the desert, you give to us all.
Nursing wild animals back to health
And restoring them mended to freedom once more,
So that the life of the land would persevere
To keep the stunning reality of Arizona in tact. 

Oh, cowgirl of the life-filled desert you love,
You have gathered critters of slither and legs
And visited youngsters in the schools of Phoenix
Giving hundreds of children your message,
Caring for the West to preserve it for all.

 Florence, a true girl of the west you are.
Your watchfulness has taught us well.
Now, the animals and spaces you protected
Speak to all of us who listened through you.
Far west families for generations will repeat your words. 

Thank you, dear guardian in a wide-brimmed hat
Which has gently and ably shaded us all.
Thank you, cowgirl of the western landscape,
For sharing the value of our state's living beings
 In your soft but insistent safety-conscious voice. 

Florence Nelson, the gal who gave back...