The lone rider
left the station at high noon that day.
Sadly, it was something he had to do.
He knew he might not come back,
there had been an attack
a few weeks earlier,
all had been scalped,
with no survivors.

His ample-provisions
of salted jerky & biscuits
were stowed away
in his leather saddle bag.
He carried a .44 along
with his trusted notched-rifle.
Snugly on his head,
he wore a black drovers-hat,
a faded red bandana
was wrapped loosely
around his neck.

It was going to be a long ride,
but he hoped to make it to Laramie
before the next sunrise.
His keen-eyes scanned
the desert horizon,
you could tell he was pondering.
He seemed a bit worried,
but did not give any inkling away.

His girl hugged him goodbye,
kissed him on his grizzled-cheek,
then turned with tears in her own eyes.
She did not cry for she knew
he would have been upset.

Then like lightning,
he was up on Ranger,
his spurs jingled,
thundered off in a flash.
He rode headlong,
leaving a burnt sienna dust-cloud
swirling behind.

She watched him disappear,
stood there all day long,
until the sun
began to set,
to sink low
in the western sky.

Reds, oranges, yellows and pinks
shot, splintered the skies,
then faded to pitch,
there was no moon.
As the stars began to emerge,
she smiled,
thinking twinkling beacons
for her cowboy lover.

She closed her teary-eyes,
held her hands in prayer
& made a wish,
but somehow she knew,
she had a strange gut-feeling,
they would not return.

And they never did.
That day was the last time
anyone would ever
see the lone rider & Ranger,
again.