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.

~ Prairie Time ~

On By Jerry BrothertonIn cowboy, Poetry9 Comments

Alone on the prairie, time will gently slip

till minutes and hours begin to lose their grip

Can’t measure the day by a clock’s turning hands

you use the sun, the stars, the clouds and the land

 

By how long it takes for a cloud to float by

or a hawk to soar across the open sky

a black thunderstorm to roll across the plain

or a groundhog to pop up after the rain

 

By how long it takes a deer to bounce away

or watching two eagles in the sky at play

or bison to graze, or an elk take a drink

Seems the prairie can change as quick as a wink

 

But you’ll soon realize the land didn’t change

Still a sea of green ‘cross a wide open range

speckled with wildflowers that dance with the breeze

and the sound it makes blowing through Aspen leaves

 

Yeah, on the prairie you can lose track of time

but the Pronghorn and Sage Grouse don’t seem to mind

Robins and meadowlarks will sing you their tune

while you watch as the sun turns into the moon

~ Barney ~

On By Jerry BrothertonIn cowboy, Poetry10 Comments
He was a fancy farm rooster always
a prunin’ and preenin’ his feathers just for show
But man could that rooster wake up the dead
when he puffed up and let out a crow
 
He was definitely the king of the barnyard
Struttin’ around just like he owned the place
any time a critter would get too close
Barney would take off after them in a chase
 
He’d peck at the legs of the big critters
and poke the small ones right on the head
If’n other young roosters try to challenge him
then them spurs of his might leave them dead
 
Well, all them ole hens would go scratchin’ and cacklin’
as they went sashaying all about the farm
cause each one of them knew as did the other
animals too, that Barney won’t let them come to no harm
 
One morning my wife was out gathering eggs
when I heard such a ruckus I couldn’t believe
I saw Barney chasing my wife across the yard
was bout the funniest thing I’d ever see’d
 
Yea, old Barney was a mighty good rooster
never one better for taking care of the coup
but I do have to tell y’all something
Barney made a mighty fine chicken soup
 
So let that be a lesson to all you struttin cowboys
You might think that you’re a running the land
But step out of line and you’re gonna find
who’s really holding the rules in their hand
 
Jerry Brotherton
Excerpt from “A Wanna be Cowboy in a Farmer’s Hat”
copyright 2020

~ He is Getting Tired Now ~

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Poetry, Rhyming15 Comments

He is getting tired now

of the suffering and pain

the injustice caused by

hatred and shame

He is getting tired now

fearing that each cop he meets

just might be the one

to lay him down in the street

He is getting tired now

does that white man

walking behind him

have a gun in his hand

He is getting tired now

when he goes out at night

not knowing if it will be

the last time he’ll see the light

He is getting tired now

He knows he don’t want to be

a martyr to a cause

He just wants to be free

~ Racism ~

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Poetry, Rhyming13 Comments

When the long arm of the law

belongs to an assassin

and protests alone

can bring no satisfaction

is the only choice left

to have a violent reaction

Bloods running hot

it’s beginning to boil

and the president’s

words are like fuel oil

to nourish the flames

and add to the turmoil

From a bunker he cries

“Shoot em all dead”

“They’re just thugs”, he lies

“Can’t let them live”

“They’re not rich or white”

“They’ve nothing to give”

An inept congress

is so indecisive

they can’t make a move

without the advice of

the business man

waiting for better prices

Respect for our brothers

has long gone away

It’s so easy for us

to look the other way

when racism slips

into the fray

Hell, into the fray

it didn’t have to slip

It busted through

with an unsuspected pip

and grabbed at the throat

with a vise-like grip

So now the streets

are exploding

fires are raging

bullets are loading

one small spark

could send bodies floating

Can we all step back

just for a bit

let cooler heads

make sense of it

before the whole world

turns to shit

Let’s do our part

at the ballot booth

Where we can finally

learn the truth

if there’ll be a nation

left to give our youth

Meet me on the Moon

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Poetry, Rhyming15 Comments

Now for some good news that we might have missed

it ain’t no riot or pandemic so maybe didn’t make your list

For the first time in History a commercial craft flew to space

bringing humanity back into the great race

Though still bogged down with government oversight

cause we all know ‘Red Tape’ can be such a delight

We will see ‘Hitch a ride’ programs where we can buy

a ticket for luxury cruises to take us out past the sky

To hotels and eateries up there on the moon

and apartment complexes that’ll be coming soon

An outer space vacation package up in the stars

I’ll think I’ll wait and take mine on Mars

Just think of the significance of this historic day

when to all of our grand-kids we can proudly say

I remember on one planet we lived out our life

it was so filled with hate, war, hunger and strife

But we overcame those problems back when we learned

that if we only give love, we’ll only get love in return