Stan Paregien's Poetry

Page 4




The Bright Side
by Stan Paregien, Sr.
Copyright 1992

It happened at a rodeo in Cheyenne
When a bull rider had a bad ride.
Ben was caught a while in the rigging,
And stomped so bad folks thought he died.

At the hospital they took some X-rays
And poked IV's in him left and right.
Ben felt like he'd been hit by a train,
And he was racked with pain all night.

The doctor came in looking grim and said,
"Cowboy, I have good news and bad."
"Go ahead and tell it to me straight out,"
Ben said, "'Cause I ain't gonna get mad."

The doc said, "Cowboy, the bad news is
Both your legs are twisted and torn.
Fact is, son, your legs are so damaged
I'll have to amputate both, come morn."

"Doc, you're taking off both my legs?
What the hell is the good news, then?"
The doctor pointed out a man two beds down.
"That guy says he'll buy your boots, Ben."






Santa's Reindeer
by Stan Paregien, Sr.
Copyright 1991

It was nearly Christmas time, again,
And Joe having his normal bad luck.
He asked his daughter to name Santa's deer
And for that he'd give her a whole buck.



Little Jodi began to name the reindeer,
As steady as the ticking of a clock.
"There's Rudolph, Prancer and Dancer
And...uh...Bullwinkle, Dopey and Doc."

Old Joe looked down at his daughter
As she sat expectantly on his knee:
"Okay, you win, but you made a couple
Of lucky guesses, it seems to me."

(Based on a "Born Loser" 
cartoon for 12/13/91.)









Horsing Around
by Stan Paregien, Sr.
Copyright 1991

A cowhand fell off his favorite horse
And broke his left leg in two.
Lucky for him, though, the roan
Knew exactly what she should do.

The faithful mare stood close by him
To kept the summer sun off his head.
And the horse gently licked his face
To make sure her master wasn't dead.

The minute the buckeroo's eyes opened
The horse stood still as a gnome.
The cowhand caught the stirrup and 
Held on while the horse dragged him home.

The horse left him there near the door
Of the empty ranch house and ran to town,
Where the mare found some human help
And brought them running on the bound.

"Your horse," a neighbor rancher said,
"Is the smartest that I've seen yet."
The cowhand said, "She ain't so smart.
She didn't bring a doc; she brought a vet!"