People don't know what to call me -- in
reference to this poetry stuff I mean. Cowboy poet
doesn't seem to fit. Cowgal or cowgirl poet sounds kind
of fluffy. Cowboy poetess - now what the heck is that?
I prefer to call myself a rhyming
storyteller. I like a broader genre. Call my work
Country-Fried Baloney.
I've listened to literary poets, too
sophisticated for rhyme or meter, reciting with their
noses to pages in an almost monotonic drone, saying much
and telling little with hidden meanings and layered
suppositions. Yawn!
Works of the master storytellers, like
Baxter Black and Robert Service are not sophisticated,
but they are clever and brilliant. My heros.
My goal is to entertain. If there are any
hidden meanings in my work, they are hidden from me as
well. And when I'm before an audience, my poetry is
neither read nor recited, it is performed.
My poems relate to wildlife, horses,
mountain and country life and (of course) the ridiculous.
And yes, every word of what I say is true
(but not necessarily the sentences or paragraphs).
About
Me:
Although I've lived a lot of places and done
a lot of things, most of them are fuzzy remembrances by
choice.
I have a B.S. (we all know what that stands
for) from Michigan State University.
I worked
with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for 8½ years.
That ended me up in North Dakota where I pushed pencils
over mounds of government reports about the wildlife we'd
be managing if we didn't have so much paperwork. In my
spare time I trained horses and helped neighbors hay and
herd cattle.
Rather
than spending a fourth winter in North Dakota I decided
to take a hike. I left to backpack solo through the
Rockies the Canadian border to New Mexico. There I coined
the now popular phrase, “You know your feet are sore
when you step in cow pies ‘cause they’re
soft.”
After a
few unfortunate events like my mom having a severe
stroke, I owned and operated a riding stable for 4½
years, offering trail rides, wagon and sleigh rides, as
well as lessons and horse training. The high cost of
liability insurance caused the business to fold.
Since then
I worked with delinquent teenagers on a wagon train, held
a host of “manure type” jobs in many states,
and was the wrangler at a guest ranch in Montana for four
years. For the last 11 years I've been a professional,
licensed massage therapist. Currently I live near Coeur
d'Alene, Idaho.
During all
this irrelevant stuff, I have entertained throughout six
western states. My works have appeared in numerous
publications. Most people, especially ones that think
they know me well, are amazed at the transformation that
takes place when I have a microphone in my hand. Give me
an audience and I'm golden.
Hilma (Volcano) Volk
Live Entertainment
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Will travel
Hilma (Volcano) Volk performs.
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