The poem
Starspangled cowboy sauntering out of the almost- silly West, on your face a porcelain grin, tugging a papier-mache cactus on wheels behind you with a string,
you are innocent as a bathtub full of bullets.
Your righteous eyes, your laconic trigger-fingers people the streets with villains: as you move, the air in front of you blossoms with targets
and you leave behind you a heroic trail of desolation: beer bottles slaughtered by the side of the road, bird- skulls bleaching in the sunset.
I ought to be watching from behind a cliff or a cardboard storefront when the shooting starts, hands clasped in admiration,
but I am elsewhere. Then what about me
what about the I confronting you on that border you are always trying to cross?
I am the horizon you ride towards, the thing you can never lasso
I am also what surrounds you: my brain scattered with your tincans, bones, empty shells, the litter of your invasions.
I am the space you desecrate as you pass through.
In this poem, the tone is that cowboys are not heroic and they cause trouble wherever they go. There are so many poetic devices that she uses to help idenify the tone of the poem. the authors tone is clearly that her opinion will never be changed about cowboys and she feels as though she stands alone on this subject since she says : hands clasped in admiration, but i am elsewhere. Then what about me what about the i confronting you on that border you are always trying to cross? i am the horizon you ride towards, the thing you can never lasso.." shows that her opinion will always remain unchanged and theres nothing anyone can do to convince her otherwise.
Actually, you're wrong. This poem is obviously not about cowboys. If you look at the symbolism, which she uses a lot in her poetry, you would know that. What this is really about is something or someone considered to be heroic or amazing, in my opinion, I believe it is men. The country was still incredibly sexist when she was writing her poetry and women had no rights. What she is trying to say is that most people,…
Read the whole commentActually, you're wrong. This poem is obviously not about cowboys. If you look at the symbolism, which she uses a lot in her poetry, you would know that. What this is really about is something or someone considered to be heroic or amazing, in my opinion, I believe it is men. The country was still incredibly sexist when she was writing her poetry and women had no rights. What she is trying to say is that most people, or women, look up to or accept the fact that men are more "powerful" or "heroic". But she on the other hand, does not feel this way. When she talks about being the horizon, the thing you can never lasso, she means that no one will ever get to her, she is untouchable, and she is free. Nobody can hold her back.