Latigo,
Indian saddle blanket,
drinking steer horn,
pale olive chaparall,
chukar quail,

Shilo Shane bathes
in the creek in the
misting rain,

roots of purple sage
let go on the clay bank,
spills wisdom in her creek
bathwater, outlaw daughter.

Duster of soft-focus gold,
chaps oiled to buttery brown,
Rodeo in town.

Rider of the Queer Purple Sage,
Shilo Shane's the rage,
comes from Rosita Canyon,
alternative Western outback.

Spectators watch Shilo Shane 
break out, unimpose old habits
of Rodeo, Rider of the Queer
Purple Sage, gay rodeo catches
mane, dramatized sponsorship,
gay marketing across the land.

Shilo Shane, candidate for
Hall of Rodeo Fame,
must distinguish herself,
welcomes nominations
from spectators, Rider of
the Queer Purple Sage.

Copyright 2006 Sage Sweetwater, firebrand lesbian novelist, brainchild of Sage Sweetwater Creative Properties, flagship of Stone Creek Woman