The Poetry of R.E. Slater: S. Omar Barker

"Autobiographies of great nations are written in three manuscripts – a book of deeds, a book of words, and a book of art. Of the three, I would choose the latter as truest testimony." - Sir Kenneth Smith, Great Civilisations

"I must write each day without fail, not so much for the success of the work, as in order not to get out of my routine." - Leo Tolstoy

I have never believed that one should wait until one is inspired because I think the pleasures of not writing are so great that if you ever start indulging them you will never write again. - John Updike

"The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it." - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Poetry is the shadow cast by our streetlight imaginations." - Lawrence Ferlinghetti

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Tuesday, August 2, 2011

S. Omar Barker - He'll Do!

He'll Do!

by S. Omar Barker, 1928

Don't call me no star in the bronc bustin' game—
Sech words is plumb natcherly wrong.
Us cowboys jest say, when a feller is game:
"He'll do, boys, fer takin' along!"

Don't call me no "prince of good fellers" nor say
I'm 'bold, brave an' fearless" nor such!
Don't claim I'm no "marvel"—no fine "sobrikay"
Like "world-beatin' champeen"! Not much!

Fer I never hanker fer high-soundin' praise
A cowboy can't half understand.
I'd ruther be told, in the old puncher phrase:
"Say cowboy, yuh'll shore make a hand!"

Big words never warm up no cowpuncher's heart
In praise of him doin' his best
Like them simple phrases. A man does his part -

"He'll do, boys!" they say in the West.