Hermit's Pen - Montana Poetry by Kenneth Browning

A good many times, when I am making rhymes
About one thing or another.
My mind goes back, to a little ‘clapboard’ shack,
Where I used to batch with my brother.

The roof was flat, you could throw a cat
Throrugh cracks in the floor and siding.
The windows were out, mice played about,
Under the floor, skunks were abiding.

I hope you understand, from the facts at hand,
We were very poor, but usually happy.
Though once in a while, we forgot to smile,
And our voices got loud and snappy.

Those days of yore, as I’ve said before,
Were full of trials and tribulations.
We just did our best, would joke and jest,
And laugh at our privations.

The good Lord knows, we didn’t see picture shows,
We ate cornmeal mush and dodgers.
We didn’t care, couldn’t afford to stare,
At the antics of ‘Roy Rogers’.

We didn’t drive fast cars, nor sit in bars,
Never got far from our humble quarters.
We didn’t use, socks in our shoes,
So we needed no fancy garters.

Our clothes were patched, our heads were thatched,
With hair both long and tangled.
We used worn out tools, had no use for schools,
We were wary of things newfangled.

We were afraid of girls, with their shining curls,
Their coy ways and fragrant powder
It seemed to us, they thought they must,
Talk loud, or a little louder.

I guess they weren’t too bad, if we had had,
Good clothes and lots of money.
They would have smiled ‘by heck’, and hugged our neck,
And fondly called us ‘honey’.

Now the years roll on, my brother is gone,
I am alone and lonely.
I look back now, and can see as how,
Things would be much different, ‘if only’.

Copyright KB, 1968, Scribblings from a Hermits Pen

On a hill in Montana
Stands a weatherbeaten house.
In it there lives an old miner
With no kids and no spouse.

He never got married
And he never will.
For he is content as he is
Up there on his hill.

He has a few horses
And a faithful old dog.
He has no use whatever
For a chicken or a hog.

He works for his neighbor
To buy bacon and beans.
He is never without
A few bucks in his jeans.

He spends most of his time,
With fencin’ and such.
He is stiff with arthritis,
Doesn’t accomplish very much.

He gets tired of fencin’
And stackin” the hay.
He would rather go mining,
Though it mostly don’t pay.

It is interesting work
And gets in the blood.
He is happy when digging
In hardrock, or mud.

While he’s mining he works
Like a man half his age.
At other jobs he worries
Like a bird in a cage.

Though he never made a dime
While looking for ore.
He is always ready
To try it once more.

It isn’t likely at mining
He will ever get rich.
But it is a lot more fun
Than shoveling a ditch.

While sinking a shaft
In rock harder than hell.
He doesn’t get half as tired
As when he’s digging a well.

He is always hoping
Some highrade to find.
But you wouldn’t understand,
If you never have mined.

Though it is the searching and working
That makes him look old.
He is never so happy,
As when digging for gold.

For there is always a chance
That the very next round,
Will uncover great riches
In that old stubborn ground.

At last when he’s dead
And prayed over in church.
If he didn’t get rich,
He had the fun of the search.

Copyright KB, 1968, Scribblings from a Hermits Pen

What a miserable day the weatherman has sent,
I don’t know what is wrong, with the old gent.
All night long the rain came down,
Anything but ducks would drown.

I was up this morning, at first daylight,
The snow was falling with all its’ might.
The trees were drooping, with the heavy stuff,
I don’t like to kick, but enough’s enough.

The deer were huddled beneath the thickest firs.
The looked dejected as beaten curs.
Too miserable to lie on the sodden ground,
So they just stood like ghosts around.

Not a single squirrel have I seen all day.
I suppose they are all tucked away.
In their cozy nests, so snug and warm,
Where the cold and wet, can’t do them harm.

I think they are smarter than us bipeds,
They know enough to stay in their comfy beds.
Hidden away in a hole so deep,
Where nothing is apt to disturb their sleep.

While we silly mortals, must be up and about,
Cussing the weather and staring out,
Through the windows, at the falling snow,
Wishing that we could be on the go.

Guess I am about as bad as all the rest,
At fuming and ranting, I’ve done my best.
But I’ve found it does no good to curse,
It’s a ‘hell of a day’, “but it could be worse”.

Copyright KB, 1968, Scribblings from a Hermits Pen

Mistreated Pup

It was the middle of winter and awfully bleak,

The water was frozen, in pond and creek.

The snow was deep, frigid and white,

As the little pup suffered alone in the night.

He had been thrown from a big shining car,

Had landed in a ditch, with a bonebreaking jar.

The car sped away, was soon out of sight,

Leaving the broken legged puppy, in a terrible plight.

He whimpered and moaned, and howled with pain

But there was no kind soul, to hear him complain.

Many cars sped by, carrying the poor and the rich,

But the pup wasn’t noticed, down there in the ditch.

The night grew colder, down to thirty below.

The pup still lay there, nearly buried in the snow.

He just had to endure, the pain in his leg,

It did not good, to whimper and beg.

He finally got drowsy, and dropped off to sleep.

The bright winking stars, did their vigilance keep.

Soon there was no sign, of heartbeat or breath,

The poor little pup, was frozen to death.

The lad who drove that shining limousine,

Was rich, lived alone, and dressed like a queen.

She loved to parade, in her diamonds and furs,

But had no time, for children or “curs”.

She spent most of her time, at card parties and clubs,

Was not a bit stingy, with her snobbery and snubs.

Yet she who had left, that pup in the lurch.

Was also a member, of her towns’ “richest” church.

On Sundays she would sit, a pious look on her face,

Her clothes the finest, to be seen in the place.

Diamonds flashed on her hands, pearls encircled her neck,

In the collection box she always dropped a fat check.

She thinks her money, will be Heavens’ passport.

I can just her ‘St. Peter’, give a disgusted snort,

As he says, “Remember that puppy, and the ditch where he fell?

Your money is no good here, take it with you to Hell!”

When she arrives, in the ‘infernal regions’,

She won’t fry alone, she’ll be among the legions,

Who lost their chance, of angels to see,

By mistreating dumb animals, that’s the final decree.

KB, 1968, Scribblings from a Hermits Pen

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Old Miner's Cabin

Let me find, some gold in Thee.

Find some gold, and silver too,

Or a lot, of lead would do.

            Rock of Ages, share with me,

            The sight of gold, I want to see.

Through desert heat, and arctic cold,

I have searched, this land for gold.

Many a mile, on tired feet,

No water to drink, and naught to eat.

            Rock of Ages, don’t torture me,

            Release Thy gold, and set it free.

Sometime soon, as a surprise,

Please guide my feet, to where it lies.

Just let me get, a sight of it.

After that, I will do my bit.

            Rock of Ages, hard and tight,

            A little silver, would be alright.

Many partners, I have had,

Some were good, and some were bad.

For the good ones, I wish the best,

Old Satan he, can have the rest.

            Rock of Ages, soon show Thy gold

            For I am getting, tired and old.

I am drilling now, far underground,

I’ll surely hit it, in one more round.

I’ll load the holes, and then I’ll shoot,

Please let me see, a lot of loot.

            Rock of Ages, hear my plea,

            Let me find, some gold in Thee.

Many times, when I’ve been forlorn,

I’ve cursed the day, that I was born.

When with my wishes, you’d not comply,

I have given up, and hoped to die.

            When in Thy folds, I could not find,

            A single ‘color’, of any kind.

With just a little, help from you,

I could find enough, to see me through.

If only pity, on me you’d take,

I’d dig the gold, and have a stake.

            Oh! Rock of Ages, hard and bleak,

            Let me find, just one pay streak.

Though little gold, I have ever found,

I always have drilled, another round,

With your help, and with my sweat,

I hope to find, a little yet.

            Oh! Ancient Rock, hear my request,

            Please open up, and do your best.

I beg of you, Oh! Stubborn rocks,

I can’t take many, more hard knocks,

My back is bent, my eyes are dim,

My chances for luck, are getting slim.

            Oh! Rock of Ages, it’s a sad fact,

            You’ve been too hard, and too compact.

If you will soften, up a bit,

I’ll give the poor, about half of it.

Please change Thy ways, and have a heart,

Before this life, I do depart.

            I want to find, some color in Thee,

            Before my maker, sends for me.

When at last, I’m laid to rest

And the sod, is o’er me pressed,

On my headstone, these words so cold,

“He spent his life, in search of gold.”

            Oh! Rock of Ages, hear my prayer,

            And let me find, some gold up there.

You and your wife, led a joyful life,

Until you started buying

On the installment plan, but now you can

Bills

There are payments due upon the car,

Also on the electric washer.

Due on everything, inside and out,

And the duns are getting harsher.

You are a wreck, your measly check

Just won’t go halfway ‘round.

That pay monthly pest, won’t let you rest,

‘Till you are underground.

But even then, the box you’re in,

And all your somber raiments,

The coat and vest, and all the rest,

Will be bought on easy payments.

KB, 1968, Scribblings from a Hermits Pen

Fallen Tree

I have cut a million trees,

On a thousand hills

My tools have left their traces.

The mighty pine and tamarack

Have fallen in all sorts of places.

The fir, and larch, and towering spruce

Have bowed beneath my axe and saw.

They ‘bit the dust’, as I knew they must,

In weather both mild and raw.

From tiny seeds those trees had grown,

And reached toward the sky.

I got a mighty thrill, when I sent them down the hill

But I hated to see them die.

Now where they stood, there is only rotting wood,

Of stumps and limbs decaying.

But they furnish food, as nature meant they should,

For seeds that are dormant laying.

Now every year there’s a new crop,

Of seedlings slowly spreading.

They furnish cover, food and shade,

Where deer and elk are treading.

For years and years, with wedges, axe and ‘fiddle’

I could put those trees where I wanted them,

Exactly down the ‘middle’.

Then I bought a power saw, oh my! Oh law!

How quickly I could slay them.

One hundred a day, was nothing but play.

I sure committed mayhem.

Many narrow escapes I had, if the wind was bad,

Or when my partner was new and green,

When the snow was deep, or the hill was steep,

 It sure was tough and mean.

Sometimes they would crack and split,

But I never quite got hit

When they came down with a crash and clatter.

We would let out a yell,

And run like hell,

We knew enough to scatter,

When lunchtime came, we would build a fire,

And sit around in bunches,

With smoke in our eyes,

Telling clean stories, or lies,

While toasting our frozen lunches.

Those were good old days, in many ways,

Despite our trials and privations.

We were satisfied with what we had,

And “to hell” with other nations.

KB, 1968, Scribblings from a Hermits Pen

I have lived thru a lot of winter cold

And a lot of summers heat.

But for downright torrid hotness,

This summer has them beat.

Hotter than Hell

This shack is like a furnace,

With the door and windows open

I keep hoping for some rain

But I guess there is no use in hopin’

The weatherman keeps predicting rain.

In him I take no stock.

If I was lucky enough to have some eggs,

I could fry them on a rock.

The trees are looking wilted,

The grass is dry and brown.

If a fire was ever started,

It would really “go to town.”

Those forest service “jokers”

Would think that was a pretty pass,

For they would have to quit their easy chairs,

And bestir their lazy ass.

They don’t like to leave their easy chairs.

Nor sunburn their blessed necks.

All they want is lots of cold beer

And to draw their salary checks.

But I hope there will be no fires.

If there are, I wish them well.

For it is hot enough without them.

It is hotter than all hell.

KB, 1968, Scribblings from a Hermits Pen

Flecks of gold

If you think of going mining,

Better stop and think some more.

For if you do, you’ll be worse off

Than you ever were before.

Every cent you can beg or borrow,

Will go into the ground.

You never will be satisfied,

‘Till you have drilled another ‘round’.

You will work like a fool

From daylight ‘till dark,

You will find that mining

Isn’t muck of a lark.

What little rest you get

Won’t do you much good.

When you should be sleeping,

You’ll be out rustling wood.

The wind will come down the pipe,

Fill the cabin with smoke.

You can’t get your breath,

And will finally choke.

In the summer you’ll roast.

In the winter you’re cold.

You won’t find any lead,

Much less any gold.

If you do find a paystreak,

The market will drop.

It will keep going down,

It never will stop.

Your powder will freeze

Your fuse won’t burn.

You will be so disgusted

You won’t give a durn.

The drills won’t cut,

The rock won’t break.

You’ll wish you could die

When you get a ‘powder headache’.

If you have a compressor,

The motor won’t run.

You will find that mining

Sure isn’t much fun.

Your grub will be mostly,

Spuds, rabbits and beans.

You will ruin your shoes,

And wear out your jeans.

When you’re drilling, or mucking

Your light will go out.

You will mutter and cuss,

As you stumble about.

You will long for the sunshine

As you shovel and dig.

When you get out of the tunnel

You feel like dancing a jib.

The snow will start falling

And piling up high.

If a slide catches you, they will sing

“In the Sweet Bye and Bye”.

The drifts will get deeper,

And as deeper they get,

The more you will worry,

The more you will fret.

As you wallow in snow

Clear up to your neck.

You’re blue with the cold

And a glibbering wreck.

As you slip and fall

And flounder and curse.

You wonder if ‘hell’

Could be any worse?

The ‘porkies’ and rats

Will drive you insane.

You vow you will never

Go mining again.

The rats chew your blankets

They ruin your grub.

You chase ‘porkies’ all night

With flashlight and club.

I’ll tell you this, for whatever it’s worth,

Before you tackle that tough old earth.

Don’t start to mine, ‘less you know what you’re about,

More money has been sunk, than has been taken out.

It’s a slow tough job, takes lots of sweat

And elbow grease, you can safely bet,

You’ll be older, and wiser, and poorer too,

And wore to a frazzle, before you’re thru.

Your gas will be half water,

Your airline will part.

I tell you you’re licked

Before you can start.

Your partners will quit,

Leave you holding the sack.

Creditors will take the shirt,

Off your poor aching back.

Your hair will be gray, if you have any left?

The old money poke, won’t have any heft.

Your back will be bent, creaking and sore,

You used to be strong, but not anymore.

Your joints are stiff, your teeth are no good.

If you talk about mining, you’re not understood.

When you smell good vittles, you slobber and drool,

People call you “that crazy old fool”.

Your time is about up, you can’t stand the cold

You’ll be sent to the poor house, will do as you’re told.

When your time comes to die, you’ll die all alone,

Too late to do different, you had to be shown.

No one to care for, nor to care in return.

Heaven is off limits, you’ll just have to burn.

So think once again, before mining you go,

I know from experience, it’s a hard row to hoe.

KB, 1968, Scribblings from a Hermits Pen

A Coyote in Yellowstone

Far above the valley,

And broadcast the news about his kill,

A call for kin to rally.

From across a canyon to the north,

An answer comes a ringing.

From the south, and east, and west,

Come echoes of their singing.

One by one they gathered ‘round,

The bleeding doe there on the ground.

And ate their fill, ‘mid snarling sound.

Two deer less next year.

-KB, Scribblings from a Hermit’s Pen, 1968