TO MANY OF US HE WAS JUST A GOOD OLE GUY
HARDWORKING, HARDHEADED AND FULL OF FUN
SORTA A JOHN WAYNE OF OUR TIME, I GUESS
HE WAS ROUGH AND TOUGH AND … WELL, YOU KNOW THE REST.

HE WAS A DEDICATED EMPLOYEE, CARRYING A BIG LOAD, VERY PROUD YET HE NEVER COMPLAINED, HE JUST HANDLED THINGS THE BEST HE KNEW HOW.

HE EXPECTED HIS MEN TO WORK HARD FOR THEIR PAY
NO EXCUSES FOR LAZINESS OR STUPIDINESS ON ANY GIVEN DAY

HE THOUGHT OF FRANKLIN TIMBER AS BEING HIS OWN MILL AND WHEN THE SCARE OF IT BEING SOLD WAS REVEALED HE   SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO
BUY PART OF THE DEAL.

THERE WERE TIMES AFTER HE HIRED SOMEONE
WE WOULD ASK HOW HE WAS DOING
AND MAYBE WE THOUGHT HE WOULDN’T LAST A DAY
BUT KYLE WOULD FIND SOMETHING POSITIVE ABOUT HIM ANYWAY

AND SOMETIMES US GIRLS MAY HAVE THOUGHT
THE PERSON HE HIRED WASN’T PLAYING WITH A FULL DECK AND KYLE WOULD SAY.“WELL, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, I WISH I HAD 10 MORE JUST LIKE HIM.”
MAN, DID WE FEEL LIKE HECK.

WE ALL WORKED HARD TOGETHER
BUT WE LAUGHED AND WE JOKED A LOT TOO
MAYBE THAT’S WHAT MAKES US A FAMILY IN A WAY
LAUGHING AND JOKING MADE OUR JOBS A LOT EASIER EACH DAY

KYLE LOVED TO PULL PRANKS
AND HE ENJOYED A GOOD LAUGH
HE LOVED A GOOD MEAL AND WOULD SAY, “I COULD HURT MYSELF ON THAT”

A BROAD SHOULDERED, NICE LOOKING HUNK OF A MAN
WITH A ONE OF KIND LAUGH AND A WILLING HELPING HAND
HE WORE A BIG HAT AND DRESSED WITH PRIDE
BUT NOT ONE YOU WOULD WANT TO GET ON HIS BAD SIDE. AND WE CAN’T TALK ABOUT KYLE BY ANY MEANS
THAT WE DON’T MENTION HOW ALL THE GIRLS LOVED
HOW HE WORE THOSE TIGHT WRANGLER JEANS

OFTEN TIMES WHEN I KNEW HE HAD ROPED THAT WEEKEND I’D ASK HIM HOW DID HE DO, AND QUIETLY HE WOULD SAY “AWH! I DID ALRIGHT” OR “I WON A LITTLE” AND THEN BE ON HIS WAY

AT TIMES WE TALKED ABOUT HOW WE WERE RAISED
AND THEN TALK ABOUT THE KIDS THESE DAYS
HE TOLD WHEN GROWING UP HOW THE BOYS AND GIRLS ROTATED THE CHORES ONE NIGHT HE AND SHELLY DO THE DISHES,
THE NEXT NIGHT THE CLOTHES

I CAN’T HELP BUT GET TICKLED ABOUT THE WAY
HE LAUGHED ABOUT THE BOOB CAKE WE GOT HIM
FOR HIS 34TH BIRTHDAY
HE LAUGHED UP A STORM AND SHARED WITH ALL THE GUYS
KNOWING FULL WELL, HE WOULD GET US BACK
YOU KNOW PAY BACKS ARE HELL

AND THE TIME TONY TOLD ME ABOUT KYLE’S HORSE AND THE ROUND OF TRYING TO REMOVE THE STITCHES
HOW KYLE JUST BODY SLAMMED THAT HORSE TO THE GROUND AND WHEN I ASKED KYLE THE FUNNIER THE STORY BECAME HE HAD STRADDLED THE HORSE AND TOLD TONY, “NOW HOLD HIM”
AS THE HORSE STARTED TO GET UP ON HIS FEET
HE DANGLED TONY LIKE A RAGDOLL AS TONY HOLLERED EEK
SO KYLE BODY SLAMMED HIM AGAIN AND STRADDLED
THE HORSE FOR ANOTHER ROUND
AND IT WAS ALL TONY COULD DO TO TRY AND HOLD THE HORSE DOWN

TIMES AT THE MILL WEREN’T ALWAYS SO GOOD
AND KYLE WAS A TOUGH ONE TO WORK FOR I’M SURE
AND SOMETIMES HE WOULD SEE I HAD A BAD DAY
AND HE WOULD ASK WAS ANYTHING HE COULD DO AND HE WOULD SAY
“I DON’T KNOW WHICH ONE OF STAYS IN MORE TROUBLE ME OR YOU”
I LAUGH ABOUT KYLE ASKING ANNETTE, FRANK AND I WHAT WAS THE DEAL WITH ALL THE RATTLESNAKE AND LEOPARD SKIN CLOTHES
AND ABOUT THE GIRL IN THE SHORT LEOPARD SKIN SKIRT HE HAD SEEN THAT WEEKEND, WE WERE PICKING AT HIM
AND I ASKED, “WELL, KYLE DID YOU TOUCH IT” AND HE SHOOK HIS HEAD AND GRINNED THAT
MISCHEVIOUS GRIN AND SAID, “NAUGH!! BUT I WANTED TO BAD”

HE WAS JUST A BIG KID AT HEART
BUYING SQUIRT GUNS FOR HIM AND THE LITTLE ONES TO PLAY
OR RACING WITH BERT AND CASEY AT THE MILL SEVERAL DAYS
WRESTLING AROUND WITH TIM PEPPER, OR WATER SLIDING WITH TONY
OR PRACTCING FOR THE OLD TIMERS BASEBALL GAME
PITCHING ON HIS LUNCH HOUR BACK BEHIND THE MILL
AND NAILING FRANK IN THE MOUTH WITH THE BALL
REMEMBER ME TELLING WHAT PAYBACKS ARE YA’LL
AND THEN THE DAY OF THE GAME, HE HAD HIS OWN STYLE
WEARING HIS WRANGLER JEANS AND THAT GREAT BIG SMILE

CAN YOU IMAGINE SEEING HIM IN NEW YORK CITY???
A COWBOY COME TO TOWN, OH WHAT A PITY
WOULDN’T YOU LIKE TO HAVE BEEN A FLY ON THE WALL?
WATCHING HIM AMONGST ALL THAT CONCRETE AND BUILDINGS SO TALL

HOW DID HE HAVE TIME FOR ALL HIS OTHER FUN THINGS IN LIFE?
IT SEEMED HE WAS AT THE MILL 24,7
AND IF THERE WAS A BREAKDOWN HE JUST TOOK IT IN STRIDE

TO SOME HE WAS A HERO, YET NEVER DID HE BOAST
BUT HE SEEMED TO GET OUT OF LIFE A LOT MORE THAN MOST

TO ALL THE YOUNG MEN WHO’S LIFE KYLE MAY HAVE TOUCHED
BUCKY, MATT AND JAKE, THOMAS, DAN AND RANDY TO NAME A FEW RYAN, PAT, BRUICK, DANIEL, BOB JORDAN,
RAYMOND, SHELLY AND THE 11 YEAR OLD BOY FROM TEXAS HE KNEW
WHETHER SAWMILLING, TEAM ROPING OR RODEOS AND SUCH
MAY YOUR MEMORIES OF HIM HELP YOU DOWN LIFE’S ROCKY PATH
REMEMBERING KYLE AND CHAMP RACING THRU THE WIND
RUNNING AND ROPING TO CATCH THEIR LAST CALF

SEVERAL TIMES I HEARD JUSTIN KIRKLAND TELL
OF THE TIME THEY WERE ROPING LATE ONE NIGHT
AND JUSTIN HAD MISSED WHEN IT CAME HIS TURN
KYLE RODE BY AND WHOPPED HIM ACROSS
THE LEGS WITH HIS ROPE AND SAID, “BOY, DON’T LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN”

JUSTIN DIDN’T KNOW KYLE VERY WELL
AND HE SAID HIS FEELINGS AND PRIDE STARTED TO SWELL
HE THOUGHT ABOUT PUNCHING HIM, BUT THEN HE THOUGHT AGAIN
CAUSE HE KNEW KYLE WAS ONE HECK OF A MAN
KYLE RODE BACK BY AND SAID “BOY, IF I DIDN’T LIKE
YOU I WOULDN’T HAVE SAID NOTHING”
SO JUSTIN SWALLOWED HIS FEELINGS AND EVERY SINCE THEN
HE KNEW THAT WAS JUST KYLE’S WAY AND THEY BECAME FRIENDS

SO TO HAMMER, BUBBIE, BRAD, SHANNON,
AND THE REST OF THE CREW
JUST REMEMBER SOME OF TIMES HE CHEWED YOU ANEW
MAYBE IT WAS KYLE’S WAY OF SAYING, “IF I DIDN’T
LIKE YOU, I WOULDN’T HAVE SAID NOTHING”
JUST MAYBE THAT CHEWING THAT HE GAVE YOU
WILL HELP YOU TO RECALL
HOW HE TOLD YOU TO HANDLE SOMETHING
WHETHER CHAINS OR SAWS OR GEARBOXES AND ALL

TO BUCKY HE WAS HIS BIG HEADED BUDDY
A ROPING PARTNER AND A TRUE FRIEND
THE KIND THAT WOULD STICK BY YOU TO THE BITTER END
BUT TO BUCKY, KYLE WAS MUCH MORE THAN THAT
KYLE WAS THE BROTHER THAT BUCKY NEVER HAD

TO THE WHOLE DARDEN BUNCH, THEY JUST DIDN’T COME NO BETTER
HE WAS FULL OF MISCHIEF AND TOUGH AS WET-LEATHER
THEY ALL LOVED HIM, MR. BUCK AND THE CREW
MRS.GLORIA SAID HOW SHE LOVED TO COOK
FOR HIM BECAUSE SHE ALWAYS KNEW
HE ENJOYED PUTTING HIS FEET UNDER HER TABLE
CAUSE HE ATE LIKE HE WAS STARVING TO DEATH
AND AS HE WADDLED OUT THE DOOR WHEN HE WAS ABLE
I CAN HEAR HIM SAY, OH MAN! I WONDER WHAT’S FOR SUPPER

TO MATT AND JAKE HE WAS THEIR IDOL
KYLE CALLED MATT, LITTLE BIG HEAD AND OFF THEY WOULD GO
WHETHER HUNTING, FOURWHEELING OR TO THE RODEO

TO LORI’S LITTLE GIRL HE WASN’T KYLE
SHE NEVER CALLED HIM BY HIS NAME
TO HER HE WAS “YOU KNOW WHO”
AND SHE LOVED HIM JUST THE SAME

TO MR. CARTER HE WAS ONE OF HIS OWN
A SON HE HELPED RAISE, TRUSTED AND ADMIRED
AND AS MR. CARTER OFTEN SAID
I DIDN’T HAVE TO WORRY WITH KYLE AROUND
I KNEW HE WOULD HANDLE IT AND HE NEVER LET ME DOWN
AND FOR THOSE OF US WHO KNEW THEM, IT WAS ALMOST A SIN
THE WAY THEY THOUGHT AND WORKED SO MUCH A LIKE
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON, YET NOT EVEN BLOOD KIN

TO HIS MOM, I HEARD HER PROCLAIM
“TO ME, KYLE WAS ALWAYS BIGGER THAN LIFE”
SHE THOUGHT OF HIM A LOT LIKE POPEYE
AND I HEARD HER EXPLAIN WHY
I YAM, WHAT I YAM AND THAT’S ALL I YAM, MRS COWART REPLIED
A STRONGHEADED, VERY INDEPENDENT MAN
TAKE ME OR LEAVE ME, CAUSE THAT’S THE WAY I AM.

TO TERRY HE WAS BOSSMAN,
THEY WORKED CLOSE TOGETHER FOR OVER 12 YEARS
KYLE CALLED HIM HAMMER, OR BONES OR PREACHERMAN
BUT TERRY SHARED WITH SOME OF US AND KYLE’S MOM TOO
THAT HE HAD NO FEAR
HE HAD TALKED TO KYLE ABOUT GOD’S PLAN
AND HE KNEW BEYOND A DOUBT, KYLE WAS IN GOD’S HAND

EVERY EVENING WHEN HE WOULD BRING THE REPORTS IN
I’D ALWAYS ASK HIM, HOW DID HIS DAY WENT
AND MOST OF THE TIME HIS REPLY WAS THE SAME
“AWH! IT WENT OK” OR “JUST THE SAME OLE THING”

BUT MONDAY AS HE LEFT I TOLD HIM A JOKE
AND HE WENT OUT THE DOOR
JUST LAUGHING FOR A WHILE
THAT’S THE WAY I WANT TO REMEMBER OUR FRIEND KYLE

KYLE, WHEN YOU LEFT, YOU LEFT A BIG SPACE
IN ALL OUR HEARTS AND EACH OF OUR FACE
WE JUST HOPE YOU HAD SOME KIND OF A CLUE
HOW MUCH YOU MEANT TO ALL OF US
CAUSE AS NORMAL WE GO THRU LIFE WITHOUT SAYING
BUT SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY WE HOPE YOU JUST KNEW.

MOST OF ALL I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER
AS HE WOULD GO OUT THE DOOR
EVERY EVENING WHETHER I SAW HIM OR NOT
HE KNEW I WAS THERE
AND HE WOULD HOLLER
“I’M GONE, I’LL SEE YA”

LORD, I HOPE SO, SOMEDAY