8 Seconds

Big Red knew what was coming
When he ambled off that truck
Tonight another cowboy would try
To beat the odds, have some luck

In the bovine world, he was king
Eighteen hundred pounds of hooded hell
Until now nobody had stayed aboard
To hear that eight-second bell

He was such a magnificent beast
Muscled shoulders of a copper hue
If there was a physical weakness
There were no obvious clues

In the distance, he heard an uproar
Knew that time was drawing near
For him to do what he did best
Intimidate, doing his best to create fear

He was loaded into a narrow chute
Felt a weight settle on his back
Bucked, strained, he created havoc
Coiling his muscles for the attack

The gate opened and off they went
Cowboy, he was determined to unseat
A whirling dervish he now became
In his mind no way could he be beat

The uproar was intense, deafening
People were screaming, on their feet
Sensing that this could be the night
When Big Red finally tasted defeat

The cowboy thought he knew Red’s moves
But Big Red had one he kept in reserve
If he was going to throw this cowboy
It was now while he had the nerve

Out of a tight spin, he went down
And went into a deadly barrel roll
Unable to clear the saddle in time
The cowboy’s life Big Red stole

That night Big Red was retired
And hamburger he almost became
Instead, a sign was nailed to his stall
“Here lives a killer, Big Red’s his name”

Thursday, June 23, 2022