| Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). Poetry: A Magazine of Verse. 1912–22. | | | | Old Paint | | By N. Howard Thorp |
| | From “Cowboy Songs”
EVERY time I see an old paint horse, I think of you, | |
| Old Paint horse of mine that used to be. | |
| Old pal o’ mine that was, the best horse of all, because— | |
| That’s why, old horse, at last I set you free! | |
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| I’ve bought ’em by the thousand, I’ve owned ’em everywhere— | 5 |
| There’s one stands out among ’em all alone. | |
| Paint-marked everywhere, tail a little short of hair, | |
| Old horse, you never failed to bring me home! | |
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| ’Member when they stole you from Pass City, | |
| En locked you up inside the Juarez jail?— | 10 |
| Said that you had eaten up an entire crop of wheat, | |
| En I had to rustle round en get your bail? | |
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| En I got you cross the river en matched you in a race, | |
| En we bet the last red dollar we could scrape?— | |
| En how you bit old Rocking Chair, the horse you run against, | 15 |
| En made him turn his head en lose the race? | |
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| We was both young en foolish in them green days long ago— | |
| I don’t believe in telling stories out of school! | |
| ’Member when we roped the pianner en jerked her out the door? | |
| Hush up! Old Paint, you’re talkin’ like a fool! | 20 |
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| Well, old horse, you’re buried, en your troubles they are done; | |
| But I often sit en think of what we did, | |
| En recall the many scrapes we had, en used to think it fun, | |
Es we rode along the Rio Grande….
Good bye, old Kid! | | | | |
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