Poem on the Range

Now, listen to me, ladies, if courtship's on your mind, When it comes to pickin' cowboys, beware of what you'll find! They'll make you fall in love with them if you give them half a chance, But there are certain cowboys that don't know much 'bout romance. They're used to ridin' all alone and not sayin' very much, And most of their communication's done through just a touch. They're most comfortable praisin' you the way they would their horse, And my last cowboy boyfriend told me this, without remorse: "I'll never understand just what you ladies want from men. Just when I think I've figgered it out, I find I'm wrong agin! . . ."

Write 'em, cowgirl! Ann Sochat, the Texas poet who wrote that ditty, will be one of the acts featured when the eighteenth annual Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering kicks off tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard; the Yampa Valley Boys and Juni Fisher, 2006 Western Music Association female vocalist of the year, will also sound off. The lineups change as the shows continue through January 14; prices range from $14 to $28. For a complete schedule, go to www.arvadacenter.org/cowboy or call 720-898-7200. And remember:

…before you pick a cowboy, ladies, just as a matter of course, Be sure that you check out the way that cowboy treats his horse!
Jan. 11-14