Poetry by Ken Hanson
Illustration by Steve Douglass
I’ve said this before, so you already know it,
It’s probably obvious to y’all,
There’s no use trying to hide the fact,
I’m not a real cowboy at all.
I ride a Harley, not a horse,
I can control something not smarter than me,
I tried riding horses when I was younger,
So far the attempts have been three.
Twice I tried riding my cousins Shetland Pony,
They put me on him, said everything would be fine,
Mean little sucker wanted me off of his back,
Both times, straight for the clothes line.
Once I rode an old nag at the stables,
In Palo Duro Canyon on a warm summer day,
We left the stable, plodding slowly down the trail,
We didn’t get very far away.
The canyon is beautiful, the weather was nice,
I thought, “Riding a horse is pretty sweet”,
Then, that nag turned around, headed back to it’s food,
That’s what they do when it time to eat.
So I got a motorcycle and forgot about horses,
It’s a sad fact, but you see,
If you’re looking for a real cowboy,
I’m sorry to say, It isn’t me.
I stand in front of this cowboy band,
Amazed at what they do,
They use the gift that God has given them,
To worship Him and entertain us too.
It takes a special talent to perform music,
Something not everyone can do,
I tried my hand at it when I was younger,
I was not one of the chosen few.
Dave’s played the bass since junior high,
Inspired when Paul McCartney appeared on TV,
Over forty years music’s been part of his life,
Serving The Lord for all too see.
We’re all fortunate to have music in our lives,
Whether our own or someone else we see,
If you’re looking for a real musician,
Once again, it isn’t me.
I did receive the gift of words,
Putting them together so the right ones rhyme,
Poems that are funny or inspirational,
Hopefully at least some of the time.
I use this talent to serve The Lord,
The right words can help someone make a fresh start,
I’ll help them find their way back on the path,
And help them ask Jesus into their heart.
I believe we have all been given a talent,
To serve The Lord and spread the word,
Salvation’s too important to leave any behind,
Everyone needs to have heard.
I’m the one who writes it all down,
Sometimes I think I’m smart enough,
To remember the words without the book,
It looks easy from there but up here it’s tough.
So sometimes I’ll leave the book at home,
Successful only one time out of three,
If you’re looking for someone with a perfect memory,
Sorry, It isn’t me.
What a surprise, I’m not perfect,
Guess what, neither are you,
We have all fallen short of the glory of God,
There’s nothing about that that we can do.
Sometimes it hurts to tell the truth,
It has to be told, that’s nothing new,
There’s only one person on Earth that was perfect,
And I can assure you, it isn’t me, or you.
But we don’t have to be, that’s the whole point,
Jesus died on the cross to save us from sin,
You can’t buy or earn your way into heaven,
You have to be invited in.
“No one comes to the father but through me,”
Jesus told us we have to do,
We have to admit we have sinned, then turn away,
And believe he died on the cross for me and you.
We have to give him control over our lives,
Getting us into Heaven meant everything to Him,
Jesus loved us enough to die for us,
Let’s find the lost ones and tell it to them.
So here I am, I can’t ride horses, I can’t play music,
I’m not a real cowboy, but you see,
If you’re looking for someone plum crazy about Jesus,
You’re in luck, It is me.
