What Kept Him There

[couchgrouch]

What Kept Him ThereIt was nineteen and fifty, Jeff's dad set him on that horselittle Jeff was frightened, cos he was only fourbut seven years later, when that horse broke his legthe echo of his father's rifle, haunted Jeff in bedthen his folks sold that ranch, moved sixty miles southby the light of bullhorn moons, Jeff used to sneak outthumb rides then walk and kneel, in some green high grassthe new owner'd call his dad, but never had the heart to askwhat kept him there what drew him to that placesometimes tomorrow is tiedto sad mem'ries insideand loneliness we can't facethat's what kept him therewhen Jeff got drafted, he hated Vietnamthe lack of space and horses, made it a foreign landhe met a guy from Texas, they stayed awake in their holewhisp'ring of longhorn moons, and raising mustang coltsbut friendship during wartime, is a canteen of tearswhen Jeff lost his buddy, he drank from it for yearshe could've shipped stateside, after his second toureven his captain wondered, about his stake in that warwhat kept him there what drew him to that placesometimes tomorrow is tiedto sad mem'ries insideand loneliness we can't facethat's what kept him therewhen that war was over, Jeff went back to that ranchin the time he'd been gone, it changed a dozen handsrather than bunk in the ranchhouse, he slept where some green grass grewthough other cowboys wondered, only moonlight knewwhat kept him there what drew him to that placesometimes tomorrow is tiedto sad mem'ries insideand loneliness we can't facethat's what kept him there(c)2006 Robert George