One of those rare local creations of America, cowboy poetry has a long and vivid history, driven by its colorful practitioner and memorable poems. Cowboy poetry is a form of poetry which grew out of a tradition of instant composition carried on by worker on cattle drives and ranches. After a day of work, cowboys would gather around a campfire and (36) one another with tall tales and folk songs. (37) was common, so poetic forms were employed to help memory. Cowboy poetry is distinctive both in its (38) specific subject matter and its traditional use of rhyme and meter. While the range of (39) landscapes explored in cowboy poetry are the traditional province of poetry, from joy to (40) , from humor to spirituality, the particulars (41) from the American West: homes, cattle, fire, storms, mythic figures of cowboys and rancher, and the splendid (42) . In keeping with their subject matter, cowboy poets tend to write in a traditional, rhyming style. They (43) folk songs more than modern poetry. Contrary to common belief, cowboy poetry does not actually have to be written by cowboys, though adherents would claim that (44) . The rise of the cowboy poet coincides with the virtual disappearance from popular culture of another Western figure. Hollywood used to make dozens of films a year about square-jawed gunslingers. (45) . But the departure of the heroic cowboy has opened some room for gentler, more reflective voices. Although it is growing, their audience is smaller: (46)