Cowboy Up!

The Rodeo By Bobby Eldridge (first place winner in the first Cowboy Up! Poetry Contest sponsored by the Sikeston Depot Museum) A humid August afternoon, the bulls are in their stalls The horses protected from the sun and held by gated walls. The greyhound bus with beautiful paint, the entertainer inside, The driver quickly finds his spot, with the sounds of brakes applied. The rows of cars are headed in from all across the land, To see this show called a rodeo and hear an amazing band. The cowboys are behind the scene, preparing for their event, In hopes of winning a mighty sum, to pay back what they've spent. They've traveled so far from town to town and also state to state, To prove to the crowd that they're the best, before slipping back through the gate. Eight seconds on a one-ton bull, that has one thing in mind, To throw you off and chase you back, across the Missouri line. They stand their ground for cowboy's sake, allowing them to flee. This event our Grandpas started, so many years ago, Is one of the largest rodeos, these cowboys will ever know. So welcome folks we're "Sikeston Proud" and glad that you are here, We hope you enjoy "our rodeo" and return again next year.