Author: Jerry Brotherton

I am The Backyard Poet and I warn you that, not only will I ramble on about nothing but, I have been known to stand upon my soapbox and rant about things I care nothing about just to hear the sound of my own voice. I will try to force my opinion upon anyone willing to pay the slightest attention.

~ Porches…

On By Jerry BrothertonIn cowboy, Poetry10 Comments

I have known many porches throughout the years
some adorned in laughter and some wrought with tears
Porches where warm breezes floated o’er the plains
and the sunlight shimmered ‘cross green waves of grain

Porches below mountains that stood tall and proud
their snowcapped peaks towering into the clouds
Porches where sea mist fell across our faces
and ships horns faded to faraway places

Porches lost in the shadows of steel and glass
the sky had no sunshine and yards had no grass
Porches that looked out across strange foreign lands
some with views of forests, some jungles, some sand

Porches ‘neath a sky filled with millions of stars
miles away from the closest ribbon of cars
Porches where the song of birds greeted each day
and summer breezes brought the smell of fresh hay

Porches from where I’ve watched the day start anew
and sunsets that filled the sky with wondrous hue
No matter the time, the place or the weather
I’ve loved all the porches we’ve shared together

Nature’s Harmony

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Non Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories9 Comments

As I sit here at the dining room table and look out over the bird feeder while sipping my coffee ( really just sugar, creamer and a little caffeine) I watch a Downy woodpecker as it hops backwards down the tree to grab a seed. The Red Bellied woodpecker hangs upside down from the limb to take his share. The Black eyed Juncos scratch around at the base of the tree while the Nuthatches, Titmice and Chickadees dart in and out. The Cardinals form a line to patiently wait for their turn. Sure, an occasional Blue Jay bullies his way onto the feeder but generally there is a calm and orderly procedure that nature follows. So many varieties of birds all working together in natures harmony. They don’t care if Phil saw his shadow or not. They don’t care which party is in charge of the White House. All they care about is the free food.

~ Campfire Nights…

On By Jerry BrothertonIn cowboy, Poetry11 Comments

By the time the sun’s faded o’er the prairie
well I’m just about as tired as tired can be
My horse has been fed and all the tack is clean
after a biscuit and a few campfire beans

I lay my head down on blanket and saddle
listening to lowing of grazing cattle
Somewhere cross the campfire a guitar gets strummed
and songs start to flow from those old cowboy’s tongues

Voices that float across those low campfire flames
telling tales of glory, riches and fame
Songs sung by punchers that history won’t name
about all those brave men who once roamed the plains

Lending voices to the songs, a coyote’s howl
the screech of a hawk and the hoot from an owl
The shuffling of the horses hitched to the line
the sough of the wind as it flows through the pine

The strum of guitar and the hum of soft tunes
The sight of the stars as they shoot cross the moon
I pray I will always have these kinds of nights
with cowboys singing across my campfire light
Jerry Brotherton
copyright 2020

~ Ridin’ Drag…

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Poetry, Rhyming2 Comments

When your ride’n drag through the swelterin’ heat
and you’ve bout had all the dust one-man can eat
When the sweat’s running down from collar to boot
just forty miles gone on a hundred-mile route

The ass ends of cattle is all you can see
and the smell is so strong it makes your nose bleed
When the flies are biting deep into your skin
well now that’s when the doubtin’ really begins

You start to look back o’er the passing of years
remembering the good times, laughter and tears
You think about old friends, love, death and sorrow
glory of the past and unknown tomorrows

Oh, there’ve been choices I wish I’d never made
some bar room fights where I should’ve walked away
Times when I have left though I knew I should stay
too busy drinking when I needed to pray

It’s been mostly all work and not much playing
a whole lot of leaving and not much staying
But if I had it to do over again
I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t change a damn thing

Prairie Time – a collection of poems and prose from a wannabee cowboy

Jerry Brotherton

copyright 2020

The difference between a husband and a wife…

On By Jerry BrothertonIn flash, Short Stories7 Comments


A wife drops a sock on the floor…she bends down to pick it up and sees another sock under the bed and crawls under to retrieve it. She notices some dust has accumulated so she goes and gets the vacuum and broom to clean it up. While she has those out she cleans the rest of the floors.
A husband drops a sock on the floor and kicks it under the bed.