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 a play station world
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,
but the few which have no choice,
those who did not escape
so many years ago,
while they might have had a chance.

But still we are what we are,
and in the final analysis
that is all that 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.