By Nate Smith, Staff Writer
ELNORA — A cowboy poet is one who romanticizes the cowboy way of life, no matter if that person was a cowboy for years or a “cowboy wanna-be.”
Elnora resident Marvin Wild may be a cowboy wanna-be, but one could never tell from the clothes he wears or the poems he writes.
“I promote cowboy entertainment,” Wild said. “And I have become a storyteller and cowboy poet. I love going into schools and nursing homes to entertain.”
Wild, 58, is a poet who travels the country telling stories to who ever wants to hear them. He is originally from Mount Vernon, where he worked 21 years in management for Bristol-Myers Squibb.
“In 2001, they were making some downsizing and I was offered early retirement,” Wild said. “I said I always wanted to be a cowboy when I grew up, and I was afraid I was going to grow up.”
After retiring, Wild went where cowboys still grace the plains — Wyoming. For the last five years, he worked at the Triangle X Guest Ranch in Grand Teton National Forest, where he met his wife, Nelda Stanley of Elnora.
The Wilds split their year between rural Elnora and Wyoming.
Wild said he was influenced by the westerns of Roy Rogers and John Wayne, among others. One story Wild tells is the time he “stole” a horse when he was 10.
“I grew up on a farm southwest of Mount Vernon,” Wild said. “We didn’t have horses, but my neighbor did have a horse. So, I took it and went out for a joyride.”
One of those guests who see Wild every year in Wyoming is Vice President Dick Cheney. Cheney brings his family every year to the ranch. Wild recites his poetry to Cheney and other visitors while on the trails of Grand Teton. He entertains the guests at dances and cookouts.
“I’ve met some wonderful people. Guests that have become friends of mine,” Wild said. “We visit some of our guests during the winter.”
The poetry Wild tells is simple. Simple verse and a simple rhyme, with a little embellishment.
“That’s what I tell the kids, ‘I’m stretching it a little bit,’” Wild said. “If you tell them up front ‘I’m stretching it a bit’’ it’s not a lie.”
“Stretching it a bit” makes cowboy poetry fun. He has written enough poems to publish a book titled, “A New Sunrise, A New Day.”
“This is what fascinates me about cowboy poetry,” Wild said. “(The speaker is) embellishing, he’s stretching the truth but so often he’s making fun of himself.”
The inspiration for his poems come from his life at the ranch and the nature he sees while taking guests on the trails.
“My poetry is very simple,” Wild said. “I believe we try to make things too deep for the average person, and I want to reach kids. I want kids to be fascinated on what I want to say, but I want to reach older folks and I don’t have to want him to stop and think what did he mean by that or be embarrassed of what I have to say.”
He said that he has never heard a bad review of his poetry. A story that keeps Wild going was from an audience member in a Boulder, Colo., nursing home.
“The activity director came to me after and she said, ‘One of the ladies in your audience is a hospice case and she only has weeks to live, and she wanted you to know that today was the first time she laughed in over a year,’” Wild said. “That touched me in such a way that I want to go into nursing homes and schools. I want to give of myself, and this is my way of doing it.”
Wild has visited local schools at North Daviess Elementary and has a standing invitation from the local Amish schools. Later this year, Wild will be in Georgia and Virginia for engagements.
For more information or to have Wild visit, contact Wild at 444-9910 or e-mail at cowboypoetmarv@hotmail.com.
