The Cowboy Poem

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The Cowboy Poem

Date: Tue, 18 Oct 1994 02:33:16 -0500
From: JEAN BOUTCHER
To: Sign Language List

"Cowboy" (poem) was passed on manually by Gallaudetians for a number of years before Dr. Mervin Garretson signed it at the Maryland School for the Deaf at Frederick which I attended in 1948 (?). The following poem was epistled by the poster (Jean Boutcher) from memory.

                                   Cowboy
                                  galloping
                                  galloping
                                  galloping
                                  galloping
                 mountain                             mountain
           mountain                                      mountain
       mountain                                              mountain
                                  galloping
                                  galloping
                                  galloping
                                  galloping
               gun-slapping-hip                gun-slapping-hip
               gun-slapping-hip                gun-slapping-hip
               gun-slapping-hip                gun-slapping-hip
                                  galloping
                                  galloping
           tree-tree-tree-tree
                                               tree-tree-tree-tree
                                  galloping
                                  galloping
          tree-tree-tree-tree
                                               tree-tree-tree-tree
                                  galloping
                                  galloping
               tree-tree-tree
                                               tree-tree-tree
                                  galloping
                                  galloping
                    sand-sand
                                              sand-sand
                 sand-sand-sand
                                  galloping
                                  galloping
                                              sand-sand-sand
                                  galloping
                                  galloping
                               g a l l o p i n g
                           g  a  l  l  o  p  i  n  g
                     g   a   l   l   p   o   p   i   n   g

n e a r n e a r n e a r near arriving housebar whirling dust whirling dust dismounting roping eyes-turning-right eyes-turning-left

eyes-turning-to-housebar head-turning-to-ground tobacco-spitting adjusting-ten-gallon-hat bow-leg bow-leg boot-high-heel boot high heel walking-slowly approaching housebar adjusting-hip-gun adusting-hip-gun hand-pushing hand-pushing swinging-door swinging door bow-leg-standing--WIDE--bow-leg-standing hand-on-hip-gun hand-on-hip-gun Tobocca-chewing-chewing eye-suspicious-turning right table-men-table-men-table-men suspicious-looking eye-suspicious-turning-left table-men-table-men-table-men looking suspicious bartender face-blushing-white looking-at-cowboy

Cowboy tobocca-chewing walking-slowly-to-counter counter hand-banging-blowing-noise

Whisky!

bartender face-white-nervous small glass whisky serving-nervously

Cowboy gulping-whisky glass-empty downing-BANG-on-counter

adjusting-hip-gun adjusting-hip-gun Cowboy turning-back bow-leg - WIDE - bow-leg boot-high-heel-banging boot-high-heel-banging walking-slowly straight-to-door pushing door-wide-swinging pushing door-wide-swinging tobocca-chewing eye-turning-right eye-turning-left unroping-horse mounting bow-leg-hitting-horse bow-leg-hitting-horse w h i r l i n g dust whirling-dust

Cowboy galloping galloping sand-sand-sand sand-sand-sand galloping galloping galloping-vanishing galloping-vanishing-small gallpping-vanishing-small-small \

=

~ - .


Date: Wed, 19 Oct 1994 00:44:50 -0500
From: JEAN BOUTCHER
To: Sign Language List

Re: "Cowboy": I should have added "spotting" (seeing) and "there" between "housebar" to make more sense to you, Nancy and Mark; that is, "spotting housebar there". Merv signed "house" very iconically and graphically before signing "bar" (a place for drinking whisky) when I was about six or seven of age.

/ / / =====> icon of roof = house | | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am still working on my piece. I am trying to translate not equivalently into English but literally from the signed ASL into written ASL directly from my memory. Merv may have polished his poem time and again over 40 years. I may write another piece when I have Merv re-storytell it.

It is interesting to learn from repliers that, in addition to Sam Supalla's written rendition, there are different versions of it on video.

Have you found errors nontrivial or marginal, factual, analytical and illogical, arithmetical, temporal, or even typographical? Please let me know; drop me email. Thanks!
 

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