Do you have one of those childhood photos that you wish would never see the light of day again? Yes… that is me on the left with my older brother Jeff on the right.
I wrote a bit of cowboy poetry below, dedicated to my childhood and the spirit of the Old West.
When I was a kid it was a simpler time
In the 60’s, I dreamed I would be
Like Roy Rogers or the Lone Ranger
A’ridin’ the lone prairie.
But life is what happens as you make other plans
And I grew up forsakin’ that dream
Got married, had kids, bought a house in the burbs
And by God my front lawn is real green
I’m a suburban cowboy, no prairie in sight
And I ain’t got no time to be bored
My day’s full a work with a keyboard and mouse
And my horse is a Honda Accord
Got boots nice and clean, never been in a fight
And I can’t say I’ve shot a man down
But I’ve drawn on a dude in a video game
High score! I’m the best shot around!
I troubleshoot my computer
And work around ‘most any glitch
Instead of a campfire to sing by
I got a grill with an auto-light switch
Some folks can relax, raisin’ kids and some cattle
and settlin’ down on a farm
But ain’t no relaxin’ for this workin’ stiff
With a 30 year fixed and an ARM
When life gets too stressful I do venture out
To a saloon where there’s gamblin’ and drinkin’
OK it’s not really a saloon, it’s an Olive Garden…
At the corner of 12th street and Lincoln
Now I don’t want your pity, don’t give me that look
I got the cowboy spirit inside.
And I don’t need no more excitement
‘Cause my life is already a wild ride
So let’s cut this short, I won’t waste your time,
I’ve still got some spreadsheets to do
I hope you find what you’re lookin’ for…
Happy Trails from me to you!
Dear Dave,
What handsome “chaps” you were and are!
Of course I am prejudiced being your Mom.
Back then there wasn’t the political correctness dynamic and it was okay to pretend to be a cowboy and play with toy guns and guess what you didn’t turn out to be serial killers.
Proud Mom
Aw gee whiz thanks Mom. That gives me an idea for another blog post… “weapons of my youth.” Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Just to further mortify my mother – Jeff and I each had one of these bad boys too… Viet nam era “one man army” gun. And yes we shot them at each other.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si5Rch0s7Vc&feature=related
Ha!
I seem to remember dressing up as a cowgirl at a party in your honor once! And I have photos of you as a teenage werewolf, and a pirate and many more. You were such the dress up king! This was as an adult of course!
I have grown up to be a terrible parent. I let my son play with toy guns and have nick-named him the neighborhood terrorist. Needless to say there are some helicopter parents here, that are not pleased with me. But, I on the other hand love to laugh at them! I have to get my kicks somehow!
Miss you Dave! You have always been a great friend. Love the blog. My best to your beautiful family!
Robbin:
So nice to hear from you. I would love to see some of those photos from DJ days if you could scan a few and stick em on my FB wall for semi-public ridicule 🙂
And I know you are not a terrible parent. I can just tell.
Cheers,
David G.
What a couple of cute cowboys. But I think you are more Gene Autry than Lone Ranger. The poetry is amusing.I believe you inherited that special gift from our Grandmother.
Thanks Laurie. Do you have any poetry from Grandma Glisan? That would be cool to read.