Ah, to be a cowboy out on the open range, the majestic plains untrampled underfoot, the melodious moo of nearby cattle.

I think if I lived in such a way, I would be inspired to write poetry. Of course, mine would start out trying to mimic Ralph Waldo Emerson and come off sounding like some weird, internetty slash/fiction version of Brokeback Mountain. So maybe it’s best I’m neither a cowboy (gender preclusions aside) nor a poet.

But these gentlemen of the West at the Arvada Center’s Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering are true poets, and hilarious ones as well.

A celebration of storytelling, music, and the cowboy way will running from Jan. 14 (that’s yesterday!) through this Sunday will make everyone feel like they’re sitting around a campfire, listening to old cowhands spin a yarn.

It’s a great time for adults or the family. These guys have serious charisma and are ace storytellers.

This weekend wraps up with a Flapjack Breakfast and Concert at the Center beginning at 11 AM. Events and family-friendly gatherings run the rest of this week and cost anywhere from $12-38 a session.

Move along there, lil’ doggies, and go hear some tall tales from the West.