Dear Editor,
As a fan of Baxter Black, I contacted his office and he gave permission to use the following poem as we choose in relation to the air tragedy. His secretary wrote the following. You may be able to publish this in the O’Colly.
Wayne Parker Jr. Class of ‘71
Dear Wayne,
Baxter thanks you for your request, offers his deepest sympathies and also his apology that he is unable to create a new poem for this tragedy.
He recommends this piece for however you choose to use it, and you also have his permission to change the wording from “This Man,” to “These Men,” and the other references that need to be pluralized.
The last line, “And Billy fit right in.” can be changed to “and these men fit right in.” I hope this helps, I know it is a comforting piece.
Thank you, Vikki
“I KNOW YOU’LL MISS THESE MEN”
By Baxter Black
The Lord spoke to the heavy hearts that stood with hats in hand
“Your sadness pains me deeply and I know you’ll miss these men
But, it’s true what you’ve been hearing, Heaven is a real place.
That’s no small consolation. You should use that fact to face the emptiness their parting left that seeps into your bones and draw on it to ease your pain. For they are not alone.
You see, all their friends are up here and all their loved ones, too, ‘Cause it wouldn’t be a heaven without each one of you.
And Heaven for a cowboy is just what you might expect, it’s horses that need tunin’ up and heifers that need checked. It’s long rides with a purpose and a code that lights the way and a satisfying reason to get up every day.
It’s the ranch they’ve always dreamed of and never knew they’d find and if you think about it, you can see it in your mind.
Them, leanin’ in their saddles with their ol’ hats on their heads,
Contentment set upon their faces like blankets on their beds.
The leather creaks a little as they shift there in the seat.
The bit chains give a jingle when their ponies switch feet.
And you somehow get the feelin’ that they’re sittin’ on a throne
A’gazin’ out on paradise just like it was their own.
I can promise you they’re happy, though I know you can’t pretend
You‘re glad they made the journey. It’s too hard to comprehend.
The earthly way you look at things can never satisfy your lack of understanding for the answer to the ‘Why?’
So, I offer this small comfort to put your grief to rest, I only take the top hands ’cause my crew’s the very best. And I know it might seem selfish to friends and next of kin.
But I needed ten more cowboys and Nate and Dan, Pat and Brian, Jared and Kendall, Denver and Bjorn, Will and Bill fit right in.”
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