The Second Cup
He was holed up in a line shack
that ice-cold Christmas Eve,
He had a good fire burnin’,
brewin’ up coffee and some beans.
He'd cut a limb from a lonesome pine
as a make-shift Christmas tree,
And decorated with what he could find,
some cans and cups and things.
He'd been ridin’ line for the brand,
now on way too many days,
Puttin’ time in the saddle,
cuttin’ sign and findin’ strays.
He settled in by the fire
in a worn old rockin’ chair,
With a cup of that hot coffee
and his Bible layin’ there.
By the coal oil lamp he started to read,
when a knock came at the door
He wondered who could be out there,
as he walked across the floor.
He opened the door to find a man
wearing a heavy woolen coat,
Snow and ice covered him
in a blanket from head to toe.
The Cowboy said “Come in Friend,
get warm and have a seat.”
When the man pulled off his coat,
he wore a long white robe beneath.
It was a bit of a surprise,
but the Cowboy new right then,
The Lord had come into this cabin
just to visit this Christmas with him.
“Lord,” he asked “why have you come
to see me this lonely night?”
He watched the Lord smile at him,
in the oil lamp’s dim light.
“My son”, the Lord told him
“You've suffered long enough.
I’ve come to let you know,
life doesn’t have to be so tough.”
“Please Lord”, said the Cowboy
pulling up another chair
“I’ve beans and coffee cooked,
won’t you sit and we will share.”
“No”, the Lord told him.
“I've not come to eat.
But, I'll take a cup Coffee,
while we sit here near the heat.”
“Lord”, the Cowboy said
as he poured another steaming cup,
“I’ve searched my heart for you
when I was down and when I was up.”
He handed the Lord the coffee,
then sat back in his chair feeling old,
Put his Bible back in his lap
and began to bare his soul.
With his bowed down he took a breath
and then began to speak,
His eyes filled with tears,
and his voice was shaky and weak.
“I lost my wife and small son
to typhoid many years ago,
And I just could never find the heart
to give Love another go.
So I became a Cowboy
and a look back I've never taken,
I thought you had left me behind
and my soul you had forsaken.”
“My son,” said the Lord, “I’ve been with you
though some things you don’t understand;
But, I have never left your side,
and have kept you in my hand.
The day you chased the speckled steer
that jumped that wide ravine,
I sent angels to help you hold your seat;
but they could not be seen.
The day that mountain lion snuck up
when you were trail weary and tired,
It was me that stood between you both
when your rifle jammed and misfired.
I've been with you out brush-poppin’,
sat with you through thunderstorms;
I even pulled you from a poker game
before that gambler could do you harm.
My son I know the life you've lived
has not always been fair,
But know in Heaven, your wife and son,
are safe and waiting for you there.”
The Cowboy and the Lord
visited long that Christmas Eve.
Sharing from the heart,
the Cowboy knew he now believed.
The fire slowly died down,
as all night they stayed up,
Laughing and talking as friends,
as they refilled their coffee cups.
The Cowboy shifted in his chair
and stirred from his nap,
When he raised his head and opened his eyes,
his Bible was still in his lap.
He thought, “I must have been sleeping;
but what a dream last night,
I dreamed I saw the Lord;
and oh, what wonderful sight.”
He sat there with peaceful a feeling;
how joyful had been the story,
Of sharing share a cup of coffee with Him
and of seeing Jesus in such glory.
“It could only have been a dream.” he thought,
then paused as he was getting up;
He grinned at the chair across from him,
where sat that second cup.
Dave King
copyright 1999
Pasture gates productions
