The Country Classics
Cowgirl Poet Teresa Burleson and Saddle Pals
We have a cattle auction here in Windsor Missouri every Wednesday. Over the last two weeks the weather made things more difficult, the ground was frozen at times, and some days the thaw brought nothing but mud. Regardless, the cattle trucks keep rolling and ranchers keep hauling their cattle trailers. That’s life in this small Mid-West town.
Nancy and I went to the diner for lunch and Nancy noted the hats and caps people were wearing. Three cowboy hats, one Co-op ball cap, one RFD TV cap, and a couple of ball caps from the Windsor Livestock Auction were seen at one table. The cowboy hat I was wearing was a brown Stetson. One was black felt Resistol with some mud, and one was a Possum Belly according to Nancy. Others call it a Silver Belly.
I started thinking about Teresa Burleson down in Weatherford Texas.
As the daughter of parents who grew up in farming and ranching families of Oklahoma and Texas, the “cowboy spirit” runs deep in Teresa’s roots. This Texas native has empathy for the agricultural industries and the people who make their lives in it. Her material reflects a desire to preserve her heritage and to share a female’s perspective on living the cowboy way.
Teresa posted Gene Autry’s Cowboy Code on Facebook the other day and it caught my eye. One thing led to another, as they usually do, and Teresa sent me a poem she wrote.
Needless to say even the cowboys at the diner were impressed, as was I. Teresa began performing her original works of poetry in the late ’90’s. She is the resident cowgirl poet for the Cowtown Opry. She has performed at the Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering in the Invited Poets session, the Georgia Cowboy Poetry Gathering at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia and the National Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock, Texas.
Teresa Burleson was nominated by the Western Music Association and was in the Top 10 for Female Poet of the Year and Poetry CD of the Year for 2009.
Visit Teresa on Myspace
First I’m inviting you to Teresa’s Myspace page so you can hear her, and believe me you will enjoy the visit.
Most of Teresa’s poems are inspired by her personal experiences; therefore people are able to relate to them, and they reflect her personality and witty sense of humor. Teresa’s “zest” for life is often apparent in her poems, as well as her ability to make people laugh and touch their lives.
Here is the poem she sent me, as I share it with you:
Saddle PalsBack in the day when the world knew wrong from right,
And bad guys wore black hats and good guys wore white.Back when movies and music still had morals and couth,
And this nation still believed in the innocence of our youth.There rode Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, our true saddle pals,
And they were heroes to all of us little cowboys and cowgals.They’d spend their days defeating outlaws and righting wrong,
Then they’d gather with their friends and sing a snappy song.Roy the King of the Cowboys and Dale the Queen of the West,
Upholding truth and justice was their lifetime quest.Ridin’ tall and shootin’ straight were the rules of their game.
They didn’t do things to bring dishonor to their name.There’d be no scandals or gossip of them on the evening news.
Just mentors that taught the straight ‘n narrow’s the trail to choose.As role models Dale didn’t show much cleavage, Roy didn’t show much skin.
But they showed us that somehow the good guy would always win.They didn’t preach morality they just lived it everyday.
By their example we saw it was good to live the cowboy way.A tribute to Christian faith and teachers of fair play
They were icons that influence us even still today.The world not only misses them and their Saturday picture show.
But we miss the way of life that our children will never know.They rode into our lives and no one can take their place.
And the memories they gave us time cannot erase.Let’s honor Roy, Dale, Trigger, Buttermilk, and even Nellie Bell.
And live by those lessons that they taught us so well.And when we’re called to glory, we’ll saddle up with Roy and Dale
And once again we’ll ride with them down that Happy Trail!By Teresa Burleson
© Teresa Burleson, used with permission.
She and her husband, Bobby, live in Northwest Parker County with their Quarter horses and goats. Bobby builds bits and spurs in addition to his day job. They have a chuckwagon and compete in chuckwagon cooking competitions, which gives them the opportunity to connect with people who share the same interest in preserving the Western way of life.
Related posts:
- The Roundup with Ralph Hampton and Cowboys
- A Trucker’s Just A Cowboy by Dan Roberts
- The Roundup #4 – what’s happening today in country music
- Juni Fisher explains how Cowboy Music differs from Western Music
- Pat James – one of Arizona’s finest country music artists
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I’m happy to say that I’m a friend of Teresa’s and a member of the Cowtown Opry (CTO) Saddle Pals. I’ve only known her for about 3 years but, I’ve come to love her and her beautiful heart. So much so that I affectionately call her Sis, and she calls me Bubba. Her poetry has made me laugh and cry. She has one called “Goin’ Green’ that really makes people laugh. You will not find a better friend than Teresa. She, along with Devon and Chuck Dawson helped pull me out of a deep depression, a condition caused by the loss of my wife of 27 years.
She’s an amazing poet and a more amazing person.