“When You Ride Out of the Trap”
[Photo: Sharon Moore, MC Lonesome Dove Western Photography]
When you ride out of the trap, trailin’ freshly branded cattle,
Into green summer grass from your view there in the saddle,
It often makes a cowboy grateful to see another spring,
With a fresh cowpony, coming off six weeks in the ring.
While the cattle are bawlin’ and eating on the way,
And this cowboy that’s you is watchin’ ‘em for pay,
You’re grateful for your work, you know it ain’t bound to change,
Checking salt, splicing wire, and lookin’ for strays out on the range.
The branding smoke is still clingin’ to your clothes and your hair,
And the saddle that’s atop your appaloosa mare.
But it’s never been no bother, you remember when you was five,
The first time you recall that smell, now that fire’s the same inside.
Your desire and runnin’ iron, both heated to wood-ash gray,
How you didn’t mind gettin’ calves back in… When it was twenty below on New Year’s Day.
‘Cause you know you’re feeding America, when you bring in fats from your ride,
You’re a fifth-generation cattleman… You feel a twinge of pride.
But now you’re daydreamin’ and stargazin’, your thoughts up in the sky,
Jus’ killing time and waiting, counting off as calves go by.
And though the sun sinks in the west, you recall springtime as the start of a long year,
This life you’ve been born to live, even the bad days charter no fear.
Then you get back home that night, unbuckling and hanging up your chaps,
You wonder why anyone would leave this life, especially when you ride out of the trap.
“When You Ride Out of the Trap” has become one of my favorite poems to perform live. I wrote it during a terrible cold snap in February of 2021, dreaming of green grass and warmer days. It is included in my 2021 book, Branding in the Rain, as well as my 2022 CD, Another Iron on the Fire.
Carson Houser is a rancher, bull rider, and cowboy poet from McClusky, N.D. Raised working alongside his father on their cow-calf operation, Carson developed a passion for western art and music, which led him to writing his own poetry as he documents his life and experiences as a cattleman and rodeo cowboy. His style is greatly inspired by the music of Chris LeDoux and Kyle Evans, and the poetry of fellow Dakotans, Bill Lowman, Rodney Nelson, and Yvonne Hollenbeck. In September of 2021, he published his first book – Branding in the Rain: A Collection of Ranching & Rodeo Poetry and released his first CD – Another Iron on the Fire – in July of 2022. Carson’s work ranges from thoughtful pieces that reflect his Christian background, exciting rodeo tales, and laments for the western way of life.
To contact Carson for books, CDs, speaking engagements, and more, send an email to Carson.Houser@Outlook.com, visit www.HouserCowboyPoetry.com, or find him on Facebook and Instagram at @Houser.CowboyPoetry.
