Buckets of Catfish

Many, many years ago,
I can't remember when,
It rained for days and days on end.

All the playa lakes were filled
And the draws ran wide and full
Until there was no way in or out of town.

My grandparents lived out north
On the Running Water Draw
And kept their cows on pasture there.

The water was swift and wide
And took out all the fences and
Cows were stuck in spots above the flood.

As the waters started down
It became necessary to patch
All the fences that had washed away.

Grandpa seemed to have no fear
Of the rushing water so
He mounted Bugger Red, his favorite horse,

And swam across the draw while
Carrying a roll of barbed wire
Held out away from the horse in one hand.

He fixed what he could
Then swam back across to where
We waited and watched as he worked.

For the next several days,
As the waters receded, he would
Work on the fence until the gap had been sealed.

Weeks later when there was
Nothing left of the flood but a few
Muddy water holes, my uncles and I

Took buckets and rakes
Down to the draw and raked catfish
Out of those holes by the dozens.