South Dakota Cowboys and Other Chance Encounters

out on the open plains

of South Dakota,

a man might still have a chance

for dignity,

if he can survive long enough

to overcome the shadows

stirring within;

it is a simpler way of life,

trapped inside play station worlds

where television and X-boxes rule,

full of emotional ties and

endless compromises,

traveling south down

highway 61;

it’s not for everyone,

in fact it’s hardly for anyone,

none but the few who have no choice,

those who did not escape

so many years ago,

while they still had a chance;

but still, we are what we are,

and in the final analysis

that is all which ever mattered,

even as the ship upon which we ride

slips slowly past the point

of no return;

change is never easy,

freedom does not come

without a special sacrifice;

the price of an authentic life

is often more than

one can bear.

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