Poem: "Where Cowboys Really Came From"
Dec. 24th, 2022 04:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the March 1, 2022 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from see_also_friend. It also fills the "Mended Clothes" square in my 3-1-22 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America.
"Where Cowboys Really Came From"
[1830s-1880s]
In the beginning,
the first cowboys
were slaves.
That why they're
called cowboys
instead of being
called cowhands.
After the Civil War,
more and more of
the freed slaves
moved west and
became cowboys.
They brought with them
the poorskills learned
on the plantations.
They fixed holes
in their clothes with
darning or patches.
When they couldn't do
that anymore, then they
cut up the clothes and
made patchwork quilts.
They made cowboy boots
from scraps of leather and
used decorative stitching
to make it look deliberate.
They wove hats from straw,
pounded them from felt
using discarded wool, or
sewed them from bits
of canvas left over
from making tents.
Everything had to be
durable and cheap.
Even former slaves
didn't have much money
to spend on equipment.
They made almost all
of it themselves using
whatever they could get.
Cowboy gear looks like
it does because of
where cowboys
really came from.
* * *
Notes:
Black cowboys started many of the traditions.
Cowboys patch or darn their jeans. Shirts and jeans may be used for a patchwork quilt.
The history of cowboy boots explains their patched appearance.
Explore the history of cowboy hats.
see_also_friend. It also fills the "Mended Clothes" square in my 3-1-22 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America."Where Cowboys Really Came From"
[1830s-1880s]
In the beginning,
the first cowboys
were slaves.
That why they're
called cowboys
instead of being
called cowhands.
After the Civil War,
more and more of
the freed slaves
moved west and
became cowboys.
They brought with them
the poorskills learned
on the plantations.
They fixed holes
in their clothes with
darning or patches.
When they couldn't do
that anymore, then they
cut up the clothes and
made patchwork quilts.
They made cowboy boots
from scraps of leather and
used decorative stitching
to make it look deliberate.
They wove hats from straw,
pounded them from felt
using discarded wool, or
sewed them from bits
of canvas left over
from making tents.
Everything had to be
durable and cheap.
Even former slaves
didn't have much money
to spend on equipment.
They made almost all
of it themselves using
whatever they could get.
Cowboy gear looks like
it does because of
where cowboys
really came from.
* * *
Notes:
Black cowboys started many of the traditions.
Cowboys patch or darn their jeans. Shirts and jeans may be used for a patchwork quilt.
The history of cowboy boots explains their patched appearance.
Explore the history of cowboy hats.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-12-25 03:12 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2022-12-25 03:35 am (UTC)