COWGIRL by Puma Perl

There’s a tall guy standing
standing at the end of the bar
He’s got a red striped tie
and a blue plaid shirt
I like his slouch,
I like his shades
and his big hands

We’re both drinking whiskey
but not together, not yet
I throw back another shot
and I want to cowgirl him home
by his long hair and longer legs

I surprise myself with longing
as I stare at his sad, smiling face
I’m a sharp shooting Annie Oakley,
I’m a rodeo, I’m a lasso, a trick
rider, I’m a stampede, a bronco
buster, I wear lariats in my hair

He may think he’s an outlaw
but he’s breaking, and he’s
breaking me down, gotta
cowgirl him home take
back to boom town,
ride side saddle and backwards,
gonna cowgirl that cowboy home take him.

Photo by Ellen Berman

Puma Perl is a poet and writer, with five solo collections in print. The most recent is Birthdays Before and After (Beyond Baroque Books, 2019.) She is the producer/creator of Puma’s  Pandemonium, which brings spoken word together with rock and roll, and she performs regularly with her band Puma Perl and Friends. She’s received three New York Press Association awards in recognition of her journalism, and is the recipient of the 2016 Acker Award in the category of writing.