Rothwell Ranch, 1912

awfully clear this morning

sky’s blue pulled back 

like scales filleted from creek trout

i can see little bits of the mountains 

domes and peaks and such 

mama used to say every time 

the weather was cool and cloudless

it’s a shame before the master 

to brand or punch or calve 

when the sky’s a clean slate 

and sure in those days i’d set down 

the iron, double check the fencing, 

squeeze enough milk from sadie 

and sue to bring in to mama

let her scald it a goose-down skin

jar and chill it in the icebox

in those days we’d call on 

squire to play us his blues 

or tune the radio till we found 

something worth shuffling for

worth holding onto mama’s 

stove-scored hands for worth 

mama kicking dust up 

to the hem of her dress 

with her feet

big as cutbows for

this morning the sky blue 

as jay feet

and i have high hopes 

that some of this blue holds 

true over denver skyline

that the pneumonia won’t keep her 

from looking up and out 

won’t keep her from dancing or 

dreaming me a day

my hands loosed 

from the lasso and the rod

(left) Charles Rothwell performing lasso trick, Dearfield, Colorado, ca. 1910s, (right) photo reverse;

courtesy of University of Northern Colorado Digital Archives