Backdrop Addresses Cowboy

The unrhymed poem uses short lines and enjambments to create a staccato jagged rhythm that suits its bleak subject. On the onset, the poem seems like a fanciful conversation between a backdrop addressing its central figure. As the poem proceeds, it becomes clear that it is actually a critical examination of the relationship between nature and capitalism, women and men, and land and colonizers. The very subject of the poem, the cowboy, lends himself to this examination. In Hollywood movies, art and narratives of the western front, as well as American cultural tradition, the cowboy is depicted as a heroic figure symbolizing adventure, masculinity, and the relentless need to conquer. The cowboy explores frontiers and advances the western front. He is portrayed as a man with swagger, speaking little and shooting a lot.

The poem takes this popular image and deconstructs it with biting satire. The cowboy is described as “starspangled” (Line 1), a description which establishes the theatricality and artificiality of the cowboy of movies. “Starspangled” is also a reference to the American flag, indicating that the cowboy is a nationalist icon. The backdrop goes on to describe the cowboy as a construct: his smile is porcelain, perfect and artificial, and the cactus he drags behind is made of papier-mâché.