"Reflections From the Wilderness" is a Superb Volume of Western Poetry

Stoney Greywolf Bowers, a cowboy and wilderness adventurer, is a man who has lived the life that many dream of living, but few have the courage to. This life is both celebrated, and mourned, in his unforgettable first volume of poetry entitled, Reflections from the Wilderness (Moonlight Mesa Associates, Inc. 2009).A working cowboy for over 35 years, Bowers is able to describe events and sights few will ever experience. Whether driving broomtails over the Divide, "riding for the lead while heading off a stampede," lamenting the abysmal treatment of Native Americans, or living alone in the wilderness for years on end, Bowers is able to capture the moment with a sincerity not found elsewhere.His writing, at times classic, at other times uniquely his own, is overall extremely mournful. Sadness pervades his work, with only a few exceptions, most notably "Jake and the Snake" and "A Horse Called Bladder." Other poems are solemn and heart-felt. All are philosophical and poignant. Thi
s is a cowboy who saw much, and felt much, and who miraculously managed to record his experiences on bits of paper out on the trail.His Western poems, comprising the largest portion of the book, are unforgettable as he talks about the Cowboy way, "riding for the brand," stampedes, and the disappearing West, slowly sectioned off by miles of barbed wire. Some of the poems are downright, starkly unsettling, such as "Trails End," where the riders, caught in a blizzard while driving cattle, come upon the frozen remains of an old cowboy, to the haunting "High Plains Drifter," and the traditional "Code of the West."Even though Bowers' cowboy poems are excellent and authentic, for some readers the Native American selection in this book will be the highlight. These poems are truly written with intensity and passion, with the author almost surgically revealing the deep wounds of having lived and worked with youngsters "on the 'rez." Each poem brings emotion and pain with it, yet pride
too. Never has the Native American's plight been so graphically, tragically, and explicitly expressed.Finally, Bowers' poems of the American Wilderness reveal a man who is not afraid to be alone, to go into that vast unknown territory for years at a time, and to emerge singing of its glory, but also lamenting the environmental destruction that became so apparent.This is a book that truly captures the West and sings gloriously of cattle and the rugged men who drove them. It deeply laments the ending of a way of life. Bowers' pages are filled with sorrow and loss, but also pride and love. It's a remarkable volume of poetry. Some are brilliant; all are good.Truly, Reflections from the Wilderness is a work of Art. It is History. It is a slice American History. Reflections from the Wilderness is available from the publisher at www.moonlightmesaassociates.com, Amazon, and retail book stores.

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