By Ali
Date: 9 March 2001
The Cowboy
He was wearing his favortie pair of wranglers
And a faded denim shirt
Lovingly, he dusted off his hat
Which he had found in a trunk, beneath his bed
He put the hat on his head
Next, he pulled on his brown worn-in boots
And as the musty smell of leather filled the room
She walked in
-Silence-
She stood there, drinking in the scene
He stood still, gauging her reaction
Her eyes became cloudy, with understanding
He was leaving
His eyes told her so
He didn't have to say a word
She leaned up against the door frame
And he finished gathering his things
Placing them with presicion and care, into his bag
He did not look at her
-Silence-
Then she turned and walked form the room
He didn't move to stop her, or to speak
He let her go
He simply shouldered his bag
And then he too, walked out of the room
Through the hall
And out of the front door
She was there, waiting, on the porch
Staring off, misty-eyed, into the distance
She didn't turn towards him, at first
Then after a time, she slowly faced him
He didn't look at her, but stared at his feet
"You're leaving," she said
It wasn't a question, but a reinforcement of what she knew
Of what she knew, to be true
He nooded and a single tear trailed, slowly, down her cheek
He didn't speak, she didn't speak
-Silence-
But, he lifted his gaze, to meet hers
And they simply looked at eachother
Speaking everything they needed to, without words
Her eyes spoke to him of pain
Pain, caused by him
His eyes told of longing
Longing, for the arms of the open road
She sighed and looked away
She knew she couldn't change his mind
And she didn't see the point in trying
So, he waked down the porch steps
With that classic cowboy swagger
She watched him, helplessly
As he unlocked the door to his truck
Placed his bag on the passenger's seat
Started the car, then turned to look at her
A faint smile graced his face
And the ghost of a smile crossed hers
He sweetly tipped his hat
-Silence-
He then got into his truck, shut the door, behind him
And drove away
She watched his tail-lights fade
A modern-day cowboy
And the girl he left behind
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