Poetry of a Florida Cowboy
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Poetry of a Florida Cowboy - David Carlton
© 2012 David Carlton. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
Published by AuthorHouse 9/27/12
ISBN: 978-1-4772-6857-5 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4772-6856-8 (dj)
ISBN: 978-1-4772-6855-1 (e)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012917131
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,
and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Contents
Dedication
Introduction
What is a Cowboy?
Cowboy’s Life
Southern Cowboy
Cow Town Jail
Custer
Night Rider
Stampede
Shadow
The Bag
The Ride
Morning
Baxter Black
Beast
Bighorn
Boots and Saddles
Building Fence
Cook
Devil’s Garden
First Bull Ride
Gates
Hard Times
Headstone
High In The Mountains
Too Late
Jessie James
Longhorn’s Tail
The Billy Bowlegs War
Mosquitoes
Mr. Bell
Nagging Old Wife
Old Wind Mill
Texas Drought of 2011
On The Run
Rank Bull
Tiger
Treed
The Trail
Epitaph
Border
David’s Prayer
Dinner On The Grounds
Christmas Past
Christmas tree Hunting
Everglades
Getting Old
Hard
If Walls Could Talk
Maters
Memories
Old Friend
Plastic
Rain
Stones
Texas in Spring
The Tiki Bar
Then
Touchdown Jesus
The Dash
Fixed
Dust Covered Rider
Fresh Horses
Aunt Mary
Family Tree
Photographs
Closing Remarks
Dedication
I dedicate this book to the best cowboy I have ever known, my father, Leslie Carlton, and to the lady who has always been my biggest supporter in everything that I ever attempted to do, my mother, Betty Carlton. I also dedicate this to my loving wife, Dawna, who has stood by me through thick and thin, and the remainder of my extended family. Lastly, I dedicate this book to the generations’ of Florida cow hunters who are still living the life. I hope there is something in this book that either entertains or educates everyone who reads it. May God bless you all.
1. Leslie and Betty Carlton.jpgMy Parents, Leslie and Betty Carlton
I would like to thank three friends who were inspirational to me in finally taking the time to pull this project together. Thanks Ken Bhirdo, Sally Breaux Ayres and Honey Kutach for your encouragement.
I enjoy reading David’s writing because he puts you in the story with him, relating his experiences from the heart. As you read his works you get to know more and more the values, family ties, hard work and struggles in his past that formed him in youth. His style is natural and the words flow easily, as one can almost hear the author uttering the words. Some of David’s works will make you think, others will make you smile, yet others will provide a great history lesson, but above all you will learn something from all of them. Of David, you will learn his good nature, his humor, his sincerity, and his love of life. These distinguishing attributes are shown over and over again in the works in this book.
Kenneth J. Bhirdo
The Carlton name is well-known in Central Florida where David was raised, as a family rich in Cracker history. A lot of people claim to be cowboys, but the Carlton’s are the real deal. David’s writings reflect his upbringing –salt of the earth – with a strong family bond, great faith and a sentiment about the past. I don’t claim to know a lot about poetry but I know I love David’s work.
Mark Cook, Columnist, Radio Host and Editor- in-Chief, PewterReport.com
I would like to say David Carlton has lived the life he writes about and makes it so real that you feel like you are living it with him! I could go on and on because he writes from his heart.
Sally Carlton Ayers
Introduction
Here is a short history lesson for all you cowboys and cowgirls. It’s also about how a cowboy came from the state of Florida?
What most westerners don’t know is that cattle were first introduced to the North American Continent in 1521, when Ponce De Leon landed on Florida’s west coast. Records indicate that by the 1600’s, the Spanish missions in Florida had over 20,000 head of cattle. It is also reported that Native Americans learned to raise cattle from the Spanish and became very good cattlemen. Some herds were owned independently by Indian chiefs. During the English occupation of Florida, they brought English Shorthorn and English Longhorn cattle to cross with the small Andalusian stock, which pretty much ran wild throughout the whole Florida territory by then. These crosses are now recognized as the Florida Piney Woods
cattle of the 1800’s.
Southwest Florida in the 1800’s was a lucrative market for Florida’s growing herds. Cuba had lost most of her cattle in revolutions, but they had Spanish gold to exchange for Florida cattle. Large cattle herds were driven from all over the Florida Territory to Punta Rassa, south of Tampa, where they were loaded onto ships bound for Cuba. A long pier was built to load cattle on these ships. Before the pier was built, cattle had to be driven into the water and made to swim to the ships side, where a harness was attached to each cow, and with a winch they were lifted aboard. In 1840 alone, 30,000 head of cattle were exported to Cuba from Punta Rassa.
During the War of Northern Aggression, trade was so profitable that cattlemen risked running Union blockades to get their cattle to market. Florida supplied