Cowpokes Who Cry

By: Kelcie Smith

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They were about to be thrown from their horse, and Kelcie’s crotch would once again feel like it had been flossed with leather. Only this time, it was no laughing matter. Kelcie Martin grew up in God’s Country, as close to the modern-day Wild West as it gets. Comical, slow-moving Kelcie didn’t fit in with the cowpokes of old Westerns. But whether she was chasing unruly goats or moving cattle in the rain, her childhood on the ranch held important lessons about grit, perseverance, and love in the face of hardship. Decades later, after going into preterm labor at the height of COVID-19, Kelcie found herself disconnected from the little cowpoke she once was. A traumatic birth and months in the NICU taught her to thrive in turmoil, but when the chaos settled, she discovered she had nothing left for herself. As she struggled under the weight of motherhood and teaching during a pandemic, Kelcie found solace in the stories of her upbringing. Writing them down gave her the courage to change her mind, revealing the most valuable lesson of all: It’s never too late to be exactly who you are. Little did Kelcie know that her journey to become a published author would closely resemble her path to becoming a cowpoke. And it was one hell of a ride. With heart, humor, and reverence for country living, Cowpokes Who Cry blends tales from the ranch with reflections on motherhood, rediscovery, and finding your voice.