I’ll saddle the roan then ride out alone
neath a clear moon with frost on the ground,
to a high ridge I know
through the dark pines and snow
far away from the dim lights of town.

In a short space of time a hillside I’ll climb
to the top with my face to the wind,
and there I’ll just wait
as the hour grows late
and a new year once more will begin.

I’ll take a look then on where I have been
and the changes the old year has brought,
the good times and bad
some happy some sad
as the faces of time fill my thoughts.

In the silence of night from that small patch of white
I’ll say "Adios" to lost friends,
with a small prayer at last
for the present and past
then I’ll ride down that hill once again.

From A Little Bit of Texas (Passage Publishing).
Copyright held by Judith Nichols. Used here with her permission.