Ranchers Don't Wear Crowns

Ranchers Don’t Wear Crowns

by Sarah Jane Abatti

Ranchers don’t wear crowns.

They have collections of expensive boots and free hats.

They have a good dog and far too many barn cats.

But, ranchers just don’t wear crowns.

Ranchers don’t have thrones.

They pitch hay and truck feed to mama cows.

They use a brand new tractor to pull granddad’s plow.

But, ranchers just don’t have thrones.

Ranchers don’t live in castles.

They live on the back forty, by creeks and rusty fence lines.

They’re from the Flint Hills of Kansas and the East Texas pines.

But, ranchers just don’t live in castles.

Ranchers don’t have castles, or thrones, or crowns.

Kings and queens of the prairie, wearing blue jeans, not gowns.

Royalty of the mountains, the grasslands, and the plains.

They don’t do it for the fortune. They aren’t in it for the fame.

With cows and grass, they turn water to wine.

They grow the food that feeds families like yours and like mine.

Although they deserve a curtsy or a bow, I’m sure a handshake will do.

Not a crown, nor a throne. Not even a castle. Just a simple, “Thank You”.