The lad jerked awake and rubbed his eyes as morning touched his room
The time was short, he knew too well, they’d all be coming soon
From his bunk he leapt, and off he shot, in boots and underwear
To greet his friend, just one time more, and take some grub to share
Carrots, and apples, and a few good oats, they couldn’t spare a lot
And with silent steps and a nervous glance, a couple of papa’s butterscotch
Out the back, he slipped with his haul, and giddy’d up to the corral
And there he come trottin’, right to the fence, his favorite horse, Mr. Pal.
You see, Pal’d be hittin’ the trail that day, Pa had sold his horse
It wasn’t ideal, but times were tough, so there was only one choice, of course
But the young boy’s heart was broken, because, Mr. Pal wasn’t just some nag,
And he approached his chum this final time, and his spirit seemed to sag
He climbed up slowly on the fence, and sat atop the rail
Pal lowered his head, and gently nudged, as he lazily swished his tail
Little drops streaked down the freckled face, as the two touched nose to nose
And disappeared into the big bay roan, while the bosom pals struck their pose
“I’ll mis you, Pal,” Jaime sniffed, as he scratched atop his head
And Pal murmured softly, and nuzzled his face, like he understood what he said
They munched on their carrots, apples, and oats, and Jaime saved the best for the end
As he held out the golden sugary stuff on the flat of his tiny hand
The feast thus ended, Jaime could hear, a rattlin’ down the road
A trailer coming to take his friend, to the place where he’d been sold
Jaime didn’t think that he could stand to see Mr. Pal hauled off
So he buried his face in the neck of his pard, as he stepped down onto the trough
What Jaime learned that summer morn, is that while herdin’ down this trail
We’ll find a hand or two for whom our love won’t ever fail
And though it feels as if our ride with them won’t lose a single stray
Sometimes the cattle spill and move our trail a different way
But while Jaime wrestled with a moment that was hard to understand,
He didn’t want Pal to think he was a boy who had no sand
So he hugged him tight and tried to express all the things he couldn’t say
And with one soft kiss on his pony’s nose, he stepped down and walked away