Poetry and Song Lyrics (This is just a sample of the hundreds of songs and poems Tena continues to write)
A
Promise Made
His Story
His weathered face tells a story of the woman he loves so much
Rugged hands that serve him well left softened by her touch
A moment of silence as he rides out, as another days work begins
On every breeze comes a whisper and he can hear her voice again
With a promise of how much she loves him, yet in his heart, he knows
Mere words, not enough to hold her true so he simply watches as she goes
Eyes so full of sorrow reflect a heart so full of doubt
With tears to fill the riverbed left empty by the drought
It wasn't the first time she had left him since she had become his wife
But a promise made is a promise kept and he would love her for all of his life
.While working his herd toward the back of the ridge a hawk flies overhead
He would gladly trade places, give up everything he owns to be the hawk instead
To soar above all that troubles him, not to bow everyday at her feet
A moment's taste of freedom, however bittersweet.
There are times he thinks about leaving but he thinks with his heart, not his head
If he was thinking at all without so much as a call he would just keep riding instead
But he turns for home, the wind at his back no longer whispers her name
He knows she doesn't give a damn but he loves her just the same.
His weathered face tells a story of the woman he loved so much
Rugged hands that served him well left softened by her touch
A moment of silence, a cowboy prayer as they buried him that day
In his hand, the letter she gave him when she went away
Twenty years had came and went since he took her as his wife
But a promise made was a promise kept and he had loved her for all of his life.
A Promise Made
Her Story
Her weathered face tells a story of a woman so full of regret
Of a life spent missing the man she loves, a man she could never forget.
She stood there in the graveyard after everyone else had gone
The years had not been kind to her and now she stands alone.
She knew very little of promises, of love and all she had lost
She wanted only freedom and vowed to have it at any cost.
She never loved another, never gave her heart away
But she couldn't make him understand just why she couldn't stay
As the distant sound of his laughter echoed through her ears
She closed her eyes and said a prayer and brushed away the tears.
She had written him the letter telling him she had to go
But there was so much more that she didn't say, so much he needed to know
She could never make him understand how lonely her life had become
The ranch was not her destiny, it was his and his alone
The life they had was too difficult and she was never really that tough
It was a life that she swore would kill her someday and sometimes love's not enough
Her weathered face tells the story of the promise she couldn't quite keep
She loved him then, she loves him now with a love so true and deep
But a love like theirs could not hold her to the harsh winters and rough terrain
So she left him there on the back of that ridge vowing never to return again
Twenty years have come and gone and she has returned to say goodbye
She lays a wildflower on his grave and she falls to her knees and she cries
Suddenly someone touches her shoulder, a young man with something to say
He says "Mom, it's time to go now" and the two of them walk away.
Tena Bastian - copyright
Promise Made
His Story
His weathered face tells a story of the woman he loves so much
Rugged hands that serve him well left softened by her touch
A moment of silence as he rides out, as another days work begins
On every breeze comes a whisper and he can hear her voice again
With a promise of how much she loves him, yet in his heart, he knows
Mere words, not enough to hold her true so he simply watches as she goes
Eyes so full of sorrow reflect a heart so full of doubt
With tears to fill the riverbed left empty by the drought
It wasn't the first time she had left him since she had become his wife
But a promise made is a promise kept and he would love her for all of his life
.While working his herd toward the back of the ridge a hawk flies overhead
He would gladly trade places, give up everything he owns to be the hawk instead
To soar above all that troubles him, not to bow everyday at her feet
A moment's taste of freedom, however bittersweet.
There are times he thinks about leaving but he thinks with his heart, not his head
If he was thinking at all without so much as a call he would just keep riding instead
But he turns for home, the wind at his back no longer whispers her name
He knows she doesn't give a damn but he loves her just the same.
His weathered face tells a story of the woman he loved so much
Rugged hands that served him well left softened by her touch
A moment of silence, a cowboy prayer as they buried him that day
In his hand, the letter she gave him when she went away
Twenty years had came and went since he took her as his wife
But a promise made was a promise kept and he had loved her for all of his life.
A Promise Made
Her Story
Her weathered face tells a story of a woman so full of regret
Of a life spent missing the man she loves, a man she could never forget.
She stood there in the graveyard after everyone else had gone
The years had not been kind to her and now she stands alone.
She knew very little of promises, of love and all she had lost
She wanted only freedom and vowed to have it at any cost.
She never loved another, never gave her heart away
But she couldn't make him understand just why she couldn't stay
As the distant sound of his laughter echoed through her ears
She closed her eyes and said a prayer and brushed away the tears.
She had written him the letter telling him she had to go
But there was so much more that she didn't say, so much he needed to know
She could never make him understand how lonely her life had become
The ranch was not her destiny, it was his and his alone
The life they had was too difficult and she was never really that tough
It was a life that she swore would kill her someday and sometimes love's not enough
Her weathered face tells the story of the promise she couldn't quite keep
She loved him then, she loves him now with a love so true and deep
But a love like theirs could not hold her to the harsh winters and rough terrain
So she left him there on the back of that ridge vowing never to return again
Twenty years have come and gone and she has returned to say goodbye
She lays a wildflower on his grave and she falls to her knees and she cries
Suddenly someone touches her shoulder, a young man with something to say
He says "Mom, it's time to go now" and the two of them walk away.
Tena Bastian - copyright
Author Unknown
By
Tena
Bastian
She is sitting in the hospital, waiting to be seen
Nine months pregnant and barely sixteen
When a voice in her head says “Take a deep breath”
And “pick up the magazine.”
She flips through the pages as she sits there alone
She wants to call her mother and ask if she can come home
When she comes across a letter there on the magazine page
That seems to be written by another young girl approximately her age.
It says "Mama, I need your guidance
Because I don’t know what to do
I’m scared and alone and I want to come home
Because I feel safe with you.
Through her tears and her pain, as she reaches for her phone
She notices the letter is signed
Author Unknown.
She sits in her car in the parking lot as her world comes crashing down
She has been diagnosed with cancer, a tumor has been found
When a voice in her head says, “Take a deep breath”
And “turn the radio on”.
She flips through the radio channels as she sits there all alone.
She wants to call her husband and ask if he can come home
When she happens across a familiar song there on the radio
That seems to be written by another young woman with a long, long way to go
It says…Honey, I need your guidance
Because I don’t know what to do
I’m scared and alone and I want to come home
Because I feel safe with you.
Through her tears and her pain, as she reaches for the phone
She notices the radio says
Author Unknown.
She is sitting with her mother on her very last day
She knows it won’t be long now as the seconds tick away
When a voice in her head says, “Take a deep breath”
And “listen to your mom”
She has something important to say to you and you need to hear it before she is gone
So she leans in ever closer as her mother struggles to speak
She takes her hand and kisses her as a tear rolls down her cheek
She says…Lord, I need your guidance
Because I don’t know what to do
My daughter is scared but I want to come home
Because I feel safe with you
Please help her find the strength Lord, not to miss me when I am gone
It is at that moment that she realizes that it was HIS voice all along
The magazine, the radio, as she takes her final breath
Through the tears and the pain, he was always there from her birth until her death
When she was pregnant, when the tumor was found, every time she felt alone
It was God that loved her, that showed her the way
Until now HE was the
Author Unknown.
By
Tena
Bastian
She is sitting in the hospital, waiting to be seen
Nine months pregnant and barely sixteen
When a voice in her head says “Take a deep breath”
And “pick up the magazine.”
She flips through the pages as she sits there alone
She wants to call her mother and ask if she can come home
When she comes across a letter there on the magazine page
That seems to be written by another young girl approximately her age.
It says "Mama, I need your guidance
Because I don’t know what to do
I’m scared and alone and I want to come home
Because I feel safe with you.
Through her tears and her pain, as she reaches for her phone
She notices the letter is signed
Author Unknown.
She sits in her car in the parking lot as her world comes crashing down
She has been diagnosed with cancer, a tumor has been found
When a voice in her head says, “Take a deep breath”
And “turn the radio on”.
She flips through the radio channels as she sits there all alone.
She wants to call her husband and ask if he can come home
When she happens across a familiar song there on the radio
That seems to be written by another young woman with a long, long way to go
It says…Honey, I need your guidance
Because I don’t know what to do
I’m scared and alone and I want to come home
Because I feel safe with you.
Through her tears and her pain, as she reaches for the phone
She notices the radio says
Author Unknown.
She is sitting with her mother on her very last day
She knows it won’t be long now as the seconds tick away
When a voice in her head says, “Take a deep breath”
And “listen to your mom”
She has something important to say to you and you need to hear it before she is gone
So she leans in ever closer as her mother struggles to speak
She takes her hand and kisses her as a tear rolls down her cheek
She says…Lord, I need your guidance
Because I don’t know what to do
My daughter is scared but I want to come home
Because I feel safe with you
Please help her find the strength Lord, not to miss me when I am gone
It is at that moment that she realizes that it was HIS voice all along
The magazine, the radio, as she takes her final breath
Through the tears and the pain, he was always there from her birth until her death
When she was pregnant, when the tumor was found, every time she felt alone
It was God that loved her, that showed her the way
Until now HE was the
Author Unknown.
Tena has been hard at work writing songs and would love to work with a musician or two to develop them. She and Grammy nominated songwriter, Mary ann Kennedy created The Cowgirl Posse song. If you would be interested in hearing a sample of Tena's work or working with her to create a song for a specific artist, please contact her at bearbkra@aol.com
