Old Cowboy Hat
Old Cowboy Hat
Shuffling amongst some old dusty boxes I found a box of memory gold,
Damn, your old hat was dusty and dirty and really seemed quite – old.
Memories inundated me after you had gotten the cowboy hat at the western store,
Holding it quietly in my hands – thinking of the tales from long ago and from – before.
That old cowboy hat rode your head like some fine horseman from the days gone by,
You would have given me crap for taking a deep breath or two to hold back a teary eye.
Many nights of honky tonkin’ and spinning some gals as we danced the night away,
Drinking Coors and courting those same gals down by the river in our hidden hideaway.
Back in those days wearing our cowboy hats we liked to fight others just for the grins,
In my mind, I like to think we won those fights, but in truth there were some we didn’t win.
That old cowboy hat went fishing with us every time up in the Rocky Mountains streams,
Your cowboy hat was a witness to our worries, fears, happiness, laughter and – our dreams.
That old cowboy hat if it could talk it could also tell the world about all of our sins,
And it could lay out a map of both of our wanderings of every place we have ever been.
That old cowboy hat had seen the Colorado blistering wind and its bone chilling cold,
Over the Divide with countless hours above timberline watching majestic sunrises unfold.
I remember that very somber autumn day when your mother gave me your old cowboy hat,
She had told me – you had died rolling the pick up at the bend of the river on the South Platte.
Even though you died back in the summer 1978 – I still I still think of you almost every day,
Because in your very short life and during our friendship of all the things I didn’t get to say.
What I would give just for another hour of our friendship so we could sit down and chat,
Never fear, my old friend one day we will meet again, – for now I still have your old cowboy hat.
Kurt James
Kurt James © 2018
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A poet and novelist, Kurt writes Western fiction and historical adventure with grit, realism, and heart. His work has been featured by the Denver Post, PM Magazine, and 9NEWS, and praised for capturing the spirit of the Old West in vivid, cinematic detail.
Author of more than twenty books, Kurt’s acclaimed Rocky Mountain Series brings the frontier to life through powerful storytelling and unforgettable landscapes. His upcoming novels—Reifschneider Stagecoach Detective and Winter of the Wolf Moon—continue that legacy.
Kurt James is a proud member of the Western Writers of America.
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A touching piece and well expressed Kurt. Its hard when we miss those loved ones now parted. But they always remain in our hearts. nice work my friend.
Glad you stopped by Tony –
This is a wonderful piece of reminiscing, Kurt. Friends and loved ones always live on in at least one memorable possession… in this case a cowboy hat. A touching read.
Thanks John – in some ways this piece was easy to write and in others it was very difficult to express.
Nostalgic reminiscing and heart-warming memories. Beautifully penned and a pleasure to read, Kurt. So wonderful you have the cowboy hat that was so much a part of him, and the friendship always with you in spirit. A lovely tribute, dear poet.
Thank you Phyllis – and sometimes I wonder what we would be without memories of those that passed before us.
Beautifully rendered and expressed with an emotional charged lump in your throat and a knot in your stomach my friend. That feeling of loss never leaves us, a reminisce left behind for us ensures that their memory will always be cherished. I too have an old hat, left to me from a dear friend of long ago. Every time I lift it to my nose to smell memories gone by a tear appears in my eye. I tip the brim in memory of all those we have lost in our present life with the hope that we all meet again on the other side of somewhere. As star dust and atoms hopefully we are blended into a new life without our lost ones. Much enjoyed your writing this Kurt. Peace my friend.
Vincent it does my heart good to see that you dropped by my campfire for a spell – been way to long my friend and as just as before you wisdom shines through. Glad you enjoyed this poem it means a lot to me. take care and happy trails to you.
Thank you Kurt, a slip of the keyboard…..I meant to type with our lost ones…not without:-)
That’s all right buddy – I am fluent in Vincent…lol..
Very touching piece my friend. It’s so crazy how one thing can unleash such a flood of emotions, but theres always that one thing. It is good too sometimes to open yourself up to those floods and cleanse the soul. Great piece very touching indeed.
Thanks Paul for stopping by – One can never know what little thing will bring a flood of memories – good or bad. Thinking that is what makes us all human.
That Old Cowboy hat is a treasure…for sure. And been through a lot with you. Also, a keepsake reminder of a great old friend to boot. Excellent, Poem. Brought me to the Rockies as I read it. Wish I could find at least one of my old Cowboy hats. Most disintegrated (straw) and my old felt…well it went through two floods on the ground in a nice protective hat box. Never felt like replacing it.