mountain man rendezvous

multihued capotes
grease blackened leggings
soiled oversized cotton shirts
the black powder and campfire smoke
makes the cloth its own
white is no longer white
not on teeth spittin' chew
or fingernails scraping food
from wooden bowls
their weather beaten hands
pass whiskey flasks
by campfire flames
voices getting louder
as the night grows cold
and the whiskey flasks empty
laughter roils through the trees
and one by one they stagger off
to buffalo robed tents
and ash covered wool blankets
nary woman in sight
to warm their old chapped hides
and the still night is broken
by the chorus of snores
occassional footprints stumble
into the brush to either puke or piss

the dawn brings bacon.