Heritage

The ranch on which I hang my hat, though short on most the frills, Is thirteen sections, give or take, of rugged trails an’ hills. We call it ‘home’, our little world, our very own frontier, Amongst the cattle, sheep an' goats; the varmints, hogs an' deer. Today I watched the breakin' dawn an' whiffed the mornin' air, A time I often set aside for things like thought an' prayer. A Mockin'bird an' Mornin' Dove, an' other birds at play, Were there to sing an' set the mood to start another day. This mornin' saw the strangest thing, like time itself had merged, An' all the souls who once were here, appeared an' then converged. In swirlin' clouds of mist an' fog, right off the bluffs they rolled, Till all had gathered in the glen, the modern an' the old. The Indians, conquistadors, an' other ancient men, The soldiers from this country's wars, an' cowboys from back when… They all had come from yesterday to help me understand Our link with those who came before, to heritage an' land. A crazy notion, so I thought, that they could just appear, But as the morning went along the reason got real clear. They rode along with me that day to show me things I’ve missed, The things I’ve seen a thousand times an’ some I’d just dismissed. Those wagon roads of long ago, still evident today, Are carved in rock an' rutted earth, not apt to wash away. They linked the missions, forts an' towns those many years gone by; An' left their mark for all to see, as modern times grew nigh. The artifacts an' weathered ruins attest to yesterdays, When others came an' lived their lives in very different ways. We've seen their skill in arrowheads they honed from fired stone, An' craftsmanship in beads an' tools they fashioned out of bone. At ever turn and trail we took was something to remind, The Maker must have had a plan laid out for humankind. The Earth He made’s been feedin' us a half-a-million years, An' used it's wonder, force an' change to challenge pioneers. I do not know if they'll return or if they’ll feel the need, But I’m prepared to ride the trail, where ever it may lead. We all are spirits ridin’ time with bodies of the Earth, Whose time has come to take the reins an’ offer up our worth. The land has been the legacy we cultivate an’ reap, The life has been the heritage our father’s fought to keep, An’ we are bound throughout our time with those who came before, To put our hearts and souls to it, and make it something more.