Sun and Saddle Leather

"Sun and Saddle Leather" by Badger Clark is a collection of poems that sings of the American West in the early 1900s. The book is all about the lives of cowboys, with big ideas like freedom, the natural world, and the wild, beautiful Western lands taking center stage. Clark uses his poems to honor cowboy culture and how simple their lives were out in the wide-open spaces. The poems in "Sun and Saddle Leather" are filled with the feelings and thoughts that come with being a cowboy—from the excitement of riding horses across the plains to sad memories of love and losing people. Every poem gives a different look at cowboy life, showing feelings of friendship, missing the past, and really wanting to be free; some noteworthy pieces include "A Cowboy’s Prayer," where the speaker is thankful for the beautiful world and the cowboy life, and "The Lost Pardner," which sadly considers friendship and grief. The poems stand out because of their strong images and praise for the wild spirit of the West, making the collection a lasting celebration of the cowboy's way.