A sign that affection hath not perished

LIFE IS GOOD
by Buckley Jensen

For as long as any of us can remember, the method used by the Buckaroos of Monticello and the Broncos of Blanding to express teen-age affection for each other was to paint the old wreck in Devil’s Canyon.

It went like this: When Monticello won the annual football battle, the car would be painted Orange and something sweet like “Buckaroos Rule…Broncos Drool” would adorn the clunker until basketball season.

Then, if the Broncos swept the basketball games or the wrestling matches, the car would magically turn blue or yellow, with something poetic like “Broncos are Cool…Bucks are Fools.” There were endless variations of these public expressions of love between the two high schools over the decades.

It was a rite of passage to journey to the cliff at some point in one’s high school experience to “post a message to the enemy.”

The news of a new paint job would roar through the local high schools the morning after a band of brave painters and poets had worked their magic. The offended school would immediately call a council of war and revenge would be the topic of the week.

Some years, when there was a group of particularly ambitious or competitive artists/poets in school, the car could change colors many times. Neither rain, nor snow, nor freezing temperatures kepy these “taggers” from their appointed rounds.

It was reported that someone core drilled the paint job and had it analyzed in the lab. Microscopic examination revealed 384 different coats of paint. Carbon dating proved that today’s taggers had great-great grandparents doing the same thing.

But all great traditions must eventually end. And this one did when they rebuilt the road through Devil’s Canyon. Passers-by could no longer see the wreck that had been the billboard of choice all those years, even though it still sits serenely in its lonely spot.

It is no fun to spend good money and valuable time if no one can see the results. And so, for the past couple of years, the would-be Montagues and Capulets of San Juan County’s two largest schools have been stymied. The pressure has been building. Frustration apparently recently reached critical mass.

Tension exploded in a symphony of artistic creativity. Some imaginative young Bard(s), perhaps abetted by fair damsels, hath renewed the tradition. Pictured at right is the contribution some Broncos (undoubtedly caught in a swoon of love) offered up last week. Has the tradition been reborn? Will there once again be artistic and poetic excellence from county youth in Devil’s Canyon?

If I were a betting cub reporter, I would bet the house that the Buckaroos and Buckarettes will respond. Just what form this renewal will take is anyone’s guess, but the natives will no doubt be waiting with baited breath.

The poem which follows is dedicated to the generations of Orange and Blue who have made a trip to the old car in Devil’s Canyon and then married the objects of their (pseudo) scorn.

It has truly been
an artistic drought

Until some Bronco
put that toilet out.

Buckaroos won’t allow
the deed to stand

So ya’ all get ready
for something grand.

Why do kids try their
affection to smother?

When deep down they
really love each other.

How do we know this fact is true?

Well, heck, check the facts…Yes, please do!

Buckaroo boys wed
lady broncs by the score.

Blue clad lads marry
‘Cello girls even more.

Silly bathroom humor
in the Devils Dive,

Means home grown
babies will still arrive.