One of those rare local creations of America, cowboy poetry has a long and v

One of those rare local creations of America, cowboy poetry has a long and vivid history, driven by its colorful practitioners and memorable poems.
    Cowboy poetry is a form of poetry which grew out of a tradition of instant composition carried on by workers on cattle drives and ranches. After a day of work, cowboys would gather around a campfire and entertain one another with tall tales and folk songs. Illiteracy was common, so poetic forms were employed to help memory.
    Cowboy poetry is distinctive both in its culturally specific subject matter and its traditional use of rhyme and meter. While the range of emotional landscapes explored in cowboy poetry are the traditional province of poetry, from joy to grief , from humor to spirituality, the particulars derive from the American West: horses, cattle, fire, storms, mythic figures of cowboys and ranchers, and the splendid wilderness. In keeping with their subject matter, cowboy poets tend to write in a traditional, rhyming style. They echo folk songs more than modem poetry.
    Contrary to common belief, cowboy poetry does not actually have to be written by cowboys, though adherents would claim that authors should have some connection to the cowboy life such that they can write poetry with an "insider’s perspective".
    The rise of the cowboy poet coincides with the virtual disappearance from popular culture of another Western figure. Hollywood used to make dozens of films a year about square-jawed gunslingers (枪手). It now produces almost none, and there is currently no new Western series to be found on television or basic cable. But the departure of the heroic cowboy has opened some room for gentler, more reflective voices. Although it is growing, their audience is smaller: unlike Western films, cowboy poetry is mostly produced by Westerners, for Westerners.