Pleasant, mid-winter day
Warm winds decide to stay
Touch of spring thaws the air
Ideal life, not a care
Hidden, in frigid North
Cold destined to call forth
Prairie living unaware
Grass uncovered, and bare
Few cowboys work the range
Life will soon see big change
Barren land, overgrazed
Cattle wander, unfazed
Calmness warns of trouble
Winter’s wrath comes double
Arctic-fed winds stir up
Wet snow creates pileup
Haunting storm now arrives
Few cattle will survive
Blizzard smothers this land
Conditions, out of hand
Cowboys wait out fierce storm
Snow and cold, nasty swarm
Waiting, hours become days
Prairie, now winter’s maze
Cattle’s cries go unheard
Snow-blinded, vision blurred
Storm’s cruel hand, plays its cards
Life stops, prairie graveyards
This poem attempts to capture the daunting winter of 1886-1887 on the prairies in the Montana Territory when the Open Range’s cattle industry collapsed from its near annihilation. Russell’s artwork says even more than words can describe.
Nature can give very harsh blows at times, and it seems that we may also have many in the future. Your words and images are very descriptive. What a time that must have been.
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Leola, thanks for sharing these thoughts. Charles Russell’s artwork shares the aftermath of winter’s wrath.
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Love Charlie Russell’s work, much on display at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, TX. I taught in Dallas for years and often took my students and children to the museums in Dallas and Fort Worth.
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Wonderful Carole! Thanks for sharing your love of Charlie Russell’s artwork. In Great Falls, Montana, you can still visit his studio as well as a renowned museum of his work.
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What a haunting image you have created!
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Susan, your descriptive use of “haunting” convinced me to take this word and rename the poem as “Haunting Storm.” It feels so much more effective than “perfect.”
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I am honored!
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The art work captures your words perfectly.
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Thank you Crissy. My words attempt to convey the spirit of the image done by Charles Russell, but his artwork says so much more.
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A great combination of talent.
Blessings
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What a rough time back then and here we’ve been complaining about our cold when our pantry is full and our house warm.
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Lisa, thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. Being a native of Montana, I have read much about the haunting winter of 1886-1887.
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Montana storm don’t sound like the storm here in Los Angeles
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Yes, your weather has been a burden of late with the rain and flooding. The earlier fires always seem to be make the land vulnerable to flooding and landslides a few months later.
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Indeed: “. The earlier fires always seem to be make the land vulnerable to flooding and landslides a few months late”
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sounds like tough times, and so do cowboys…
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I don’t think Hollywood does justice to the rough and tumble life of these “real” cowboys.
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I’ve got to see what the life of a farmer is like; I’m sure cowboys have it just as tough…
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In reading some accounts of eastern Montana homesteaders, these farm families faced daily challenges. Many pulled up stakes in the 1920s and never returned.
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I guess you can’t blame them for not returning…
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Awesome weather out there.
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Yes Michael, you are so right. During my years of living in eastern Montana, I experienced the wrath of a few severe winter storms. The winter of 1977-1978 brought a similar storm to Montana’s plains.
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