Things a Cowboy Sees
And other poems
By Rod Miller
The next time you hear a cowboy poet is in town, dig out your jeans, pointy-toed boots, sweat-stained ten-gallon hat, your worn leather belt with its custom-made hard-earned rodeo-trophy saucer-sized buckle (how anyone can bend over when wearing one remains a cowboy secret) and find yourself a seat in the hall. If you don’t have the trappings, don’t let that stop you; nobody gets turned away.
Say “cowboy poetry” and my first response is “witty.” The
cowboy poets I’ve seen are engaging performers who recite their own original
polished works from memory (and who memorizes anymore these days?). It’s a
great example of the oral tradition, an art we’re forgetting to cherish and
preserve and cultivate. In my mind, cowboy poetry boils down to two elements:
the storyteller and the listener (or in this case the writer and the reader).
Imagination forms the bridge where both elements meet, nod their mutual
approval, and shake hands.
As a city girl who hasn’t written a poem in years, I don’t feel
qualified to critique or analyze the literary form. Instead, I’ll tell you how What a Cowboy Sees and other poems by Spur Award winner Rod Miller makes me
feel. From laugh-out-loud funny to poignant with a touch of silliness and a
sprinkling of romance, Miller’s poems cover the gamut, and so did my reactions
when I read them. From start to finish, this gem of a book feels genuine, with
nothing contrived or forced. The introduction, which traces the history and
development of this literary form, paired with Miller’s straightforward and
very readable style (he always finds just the right word, and has the gift of
“turning a phrase”), makes the commentary on the art as fascinating as the
poems themselves, and his passion for all things western permeates every page.
The cover, layout, font, graphics and overall presentation of the book are in
complete harmony with its contents.
No matter what backgrounds readers may bring to this
book, it has something for everyone, and offers new insights into a way of life and
an art that are both uniquely Western American. Both
are well worth celebrating and preserving.
*
About the author: Rod Miller describes himself
as “poet, novelist, historian, biographer, journalist, essayist, reviewer,
screenwriter." He's also an experienced rider and rodeo
participant. A visit to his webpage reveals that Rod's work appears in
"books and magazines, anthologies and collections, online and on the
screen. From poems to stories to articles to opinion, he writes in a variety of
styles for various media. His subject matter is, largely, the American West,
and he writes about its people and its places, its past and its present." He is a recipient of the prestigious Spur Award in poetry and short story.
Things a Cowboy Sees and other poems
by Rod Miller
Port Yonder Press, 2011
www.PortYonderPress.com
Rod Miller
