The Sandhills on the New Mexico-Texas border near Muleshoe formed some 12,000 years ago, when wind-blown river deposits from the Portales Valley to the west formed sand sheets, dunes and rolling hills. Over time grasses, cacti, mesquite, shin-oak and sage stabilized the delicate ecosystem. The rough-hewn land refuses the plow and sand makes irrigation impossible.
But, in its wild state the prairie easily sustains light cattle grazing and echoes with sounds of yesteryear, as family ranchers and cowboys continue to honor historical practices of tending to the land while eking out a livelihood. My days in the saddle during round-ups, chasing steers across ridge lines and through draws, remain a memorable lifetime of adventures packed into ten years.
(Excerpt from my cowboy poetry penned years ago follows)
Rain rarely falls, but wind does blow.
Dust time and again shrouds azure skies.
Cowboys brave harsh wilds of New Mexico,
Where cattle bawl and the Red-tailed Hawk flies.
Blue skies hold sway, but when Blue Northers blow
They unleash raw squalls from angry skies.
Said High Plains drama in New Mexico
Feeds cowboy-life lore and tall tales likewise.
© Ilija Lukić 2026
No comments:
Post a Comment