BLUE

My molars was numb from the constant hum
We'd been haul'n for a cycle of the sun
Our bones was stiff and the muscles, they ached
All we'd eaten was the cookies my wife had baked

I hadn't heard from the horses since the last stop
If they hadn't peed by now, they'd surely pop
As tired as we all were there wasn't a clue
How much work lay ahead, especially for Blue

Blue was a good 'ol horse
He'd haul deer and bear, and elk of course
He'd haul them ugly loads
Up and down, where there ain't no roads

Tomorrow was the day we'd have to pack
Camp and food and gear and tack
Elk hunt'n makes for a little work
Even for the horse with a lil quirk

We hurried ourselves to get to sleep
During the night, the horses, not even a peep
All was well with our trip
And in the morning our luck would flip

In front of each horse we tossed some hay
Twice as much in front of the bay
Now Blue just sorta stood aside
He let the others eat, heck he didn't even try

I could tell that Blue was mad
If things didn't change it could end up bad
Blue had a personality and sometimes it would show
He never liked being hauled and he would let you know

First the crossbucks and then the britchin's
Then the panniers with their worn out stitchin
The loads were mostly even, except for the balanc'n rock
We had all we needed, even one spare sock

We set out on the trail round mid mornin'
And pulling up the rear Blue was snorin'
'bout the time slack was tight
Blue hit that lead rope with all his might

He exploded and the wreck was on
I reached for my dally and it was gone
Our camp and food and gear was scattered
Them old panniers, well they was all tattered

Blue got his point across
When it comes to haulin he's the boss
It took a bit to gather things up
I even found my newly dented coffee cup

For the next two weeks Blue was the best
I guess he figured he just give us a test
I'd like to give that horse a good jerk
But what can you do when your horse has a quirk