THE DINNER RIDE

It was raining when they left the barn.
The riders looked concerned.
"It soon will pass." The owner said,
And then he quickly turned

And walked away from all of them
So they couldn't see him smile.
Because he knew the rain was here
And would stay for quite a while.

So the riders all went down the road
With trepidation strong.
Hoping that the worst had past
And that their fears were wrong.

Their hunger started telling them
That dinner did await
And that a little rain would not
Keep them from being late.

But as they headed up the trail
The wind and rain increased.
And word spread quickly through the group
That there would be no feast.

So some folks turned and headed back
Like losers with no hope.
While others continued up the trail
But, hardly in a lope.

It seemed their horses liked wet grass,
And preferred to stop and eat.
So progress was quite slow, at best
But at least the view was neat.

"Would you like the scenic view?"
Their wrangler asked at last.
"Or should we take this short-cut
And get back home quite fast
."

There was little doubt among the dudes.
They'd had enough of rain.
In fact there were a few of them,
Who seemed to be in pain.

The short cut added 30 minutes
To their dinner ride.
But heck, a wrangler's always right
And so he went with pride.

And led thirteen wet riders,
In a circle through the trees.
It made them think he'd saved them time
And put their minds at ease.

But three hours is a lot of time
To sit upon a horse.
Especially when you're hungry,
And wet and tired, of course.

So quietly they saw it through.
And suffered with their pride.
But now they'll brag for years about
Their rainy dinner ride.

7/29/99


Back To Poems