An Ode to the Branding Pen

Here, I have a job

Above the noise and chaos

My purpose is both gray, and black and white

Sometimes I give shots, sometimes I wrestle

Sometimes I throw loops that remain unsnagged

My favorite is when I get to capture the motion and the faces for all time

Here, I am part of a community

With inside jokes and kinship

Sometimes I know everyone;

And sometimes I leave with new friends

Here, my heart overflows with pride,

For the cattle and the land

For the kids we’ve watched grow up on horseback

And for the ranchers still riding for the brand

Here, I belong

I navigate between wrestlers and ropers,

Hot irons and cold syringes

With my head on a swivel,

My hands and heart stay full

Here, I feel alive

Moving, laughing, sweating; staying fully in motion

At the end of the day, I will fall into bed

Knowing my work meant something

It is here, where friends and family come together

To work while honoring tradition and heritage

To remember days gone by, and to look forward to a new future

The branding pen.

I’m thankful for this place, where so much more happens

than just branding calves.