Neil Meili

Zen Cowboy Poet & Freelance Philosopher

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Neil Meili

Monthly Archives: November 2022

Blood Moon 2022 Election

Audio Recordings, Nature, News / tagged Lunar Eclipse, Pathos, Politics / November 8, 2022 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com
On the longest night of the year
just when one is wanting 
as much light as possible
the earth is eating the moon

Every time you look up
there's another big bite gone
pretty soon, only blood
1 Reply

Note to Self

Audio Recordings, Personal Growth / tagged Character, Honesty, Integrity / November 7, 2022 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com
Never play solitaire 
with someone who cheats

You never know when
you'll need someone to count on
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Too Crowded

Audio Recordings, Cattle, Cowboy Poetry, Cows, Family, Ranch Life, Travel / tagged Migration / November 6, 2022 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com
My folks took some time off in the sixties from their Saskatchewan ranching and traveled down through South Texas
One day they stopped to talk to an old cowboy sittin and a wittlin on a rickety ranch porch 
When he found out where they were from he said "Say - do you know a man up there by the name of Bill Prior?"
They said "Yes - he's an old bachelor who lives up past our north pasture, ,why do you ask?"
"Well" he said, "about 1928 Bill and I are out lookin for some strays when we see another rider coming over the furthest hill"

Bill says to me "It's getting too damn crowded down here, I'm heading for Canada" 
"He turned his horse North and I haven't seen him since"
2 Replies

I Never Saw My Mother on Horseback

Audio Recordings, Cattle, Cows, Family, Farm, Ranch Life, Remembering / November 5, 2022 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com
I understand that
she used to ride to school
but she was little and it was a farm
and somehow that didn't seem to count

When she was about 75 she told me about going with Dad to the far end of the ranch on a beautiful day a long time ago to help round up some strays

She said that she liked it a lot
and couldn't remember why she didn't do it more
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Questions For the Next Séance

Audio Recordings, Family, Remembering / tagged Childhood, Communication, Death / November 4, 2022 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com
Dearest Mother;

Sorry to disturb you
in your well deserved bliss,
but here’s a short list
of things that I forgot to ask

And if it isn’t too much trouble
I’d like the answers as detailed as possible

It will be understandable
if you can’t conjure up a voice,
but one rap for yes, and two for no,
on a floating table won’t quite do

However, if you can look up Samuel Morse,
(who may well be bored and available),
he can give you a quick-study course
and I will dust off my old Boy Scout manual
I believe “talk to me” In Morse still becomes:

–  •–  •–••  –•–     –  – – –     – –  •

So, now that we’ve got the hang of it;

– What was the best day of your life
– What was your worst

– Your greatest triumph
– Your greatest disappointment

– What you are happiest that you did
– Saddest that you didn’t

Why exactly did my uncle shoot my dog
Whatever happened to my baseball card collection, with the rookie Mickey Mantle

and what is heaven like
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The Question

Audio Recordings, Cattle, Cows, Family, Farm, Ranch Life, Relationships, Remembering / November 3, 2022 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com
There's Dad sitting 
by the after branding fire
with some after branding beers

And we get to talking
heart to heart
of trails together and apart

And of the things we saw
which ones brought us awe
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Coyote Eyes

Audio Recordings, Poems about Poetry / tagged Dogs, Music / November 2, 2022 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com
It is Austin
so a poet is running for mayor

We stop by a back yard party
in our neighbourhood to meet 
greet and hopefully support her

It is Austin
so there is an eight piece band
The Bob Katz and they're very good

A dog with coyote eyes 
comes up and wants to be my friend
so I make up 
a Coyote Eyes, Coyote Eyes song
and sing it to her while the band 
lights up Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire

and she looks up at me with those coyote eyes 
and we are very much in love
but I am late for a poetry reading
at the English Café and have to leave
so she goes and sits by another man
She is looking up at him with those coyote eyes
I think she is trying to tell him 
about the song
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Black and White

Audio Recordings, Personal Growth / tagged Choice / November 1, 2022 / by neil_2015_wordpress@neilmeili.com
Old mister magpie
yin-yang trickster
coyote of the sky

Wearing on the outside
what I'm hiding 
in the in

Black and white
and good and evil in 
clear and equal measure

Sitting on a fencepost
scolding me for
a coward
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  1. Sandi Hebley on How Fallen AngelsAugust 17, 2025

    Indeed!

  2. Nancy Fierstien on Unremember ThatAugust 16, 2025

    Gonna be inclined to share this one at my Poets' Tea reading tomorrow afternoon. Thanks, Neil!

  3. Sandi Hebley on Memory Lane JoggingAugust 5, 2025

    Lovely!

  4. Sandi Hebley on Dad and Death at WarAugust 4, 2025

    😢

  5. Sandi Hebley on One for the AuntiesAugust 3, 2025

    Wow!

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