Cow Art
I wonder if you flinch at all
At cows upon the bedroom wall
That have great horns and twitching tails—
The massive cow that seldom fails
To win a ribbon at the fair—
Perhaps it’s odd to see them there
But I admire those cows, you see,
And like them watching over me
To fend off any sleepless nights
And fill my dreams with cow delights
I’ve No Beef with Your Cultural Identity
Being a female or male Croatian
Is no more determined by your location
Than eye-color, height or weight, or sex is
By where you were born in the state of Texas–
But I will admit Texan regions do
Determine the skew of your barbecue,
And can also say, since it ain’t no tattle,
That many are mighty fond of cattle.
I May be Texan 2
I never thought to come to Texas, even for a visit,
But serendipity is not predictable, now, is it?
And if I might not so have planned—don’t have a longhorn cow—
Turns out it was a fine surprise to land here anyhow.
Does this make me a second-hand cowhand?
In a Sentimental Mooed
Oh, pretty little heifer cow, I think you’re cute but know not how
Appreciation paid in full to such sweet charm could seem but dull
Poor compensation for my plain bland bullishness; am I a drain
Upon your dewy calf-eyed ways; am I so silly in my craze
For you, adorable and fine, that I’m a fool to wish you mine?
Nay, let us frolic and cavort and caper ’round for joy and sport,
Let us delight in being calves and neither shrink from fun by halves
Nor ever find we’re short of hay in pasture, or get sent away,
Or be penned up, for these things, too, would make a poor calf cry Moo Hoo!
No tragedy besmirch our wooing and leave us sadly this way mooing;
Let us, instead, just take a vow to stay together, bull and cow.
Yeah, you–what’re *you* staring at?
Got my little camera out, for I’m in a Gathering groove these days. Overlord of visual overload. Seems I’m just hungry for pictorial input and inspirations, imagery and ideas. So I’m heading on an expedition to capture goodies that will reload my mental files and give me that friendly little poke in the snoot that’ll get me moving again. Pictures that will lead to more pictures. Get ready.
No, really, it’s just that you intrigue me deeply.
Moo-Hoo
From Farmer Burgess I acquired
A fear unnaturally inspired,
Of eggplant-colored legs and ears
And grape-juice tinted moping tears;
I’ve long since feared becoming plum,
A hue to make a heifer glum,
And so have kept a watchful eye
Lest it occur; suddenly, I–
I saw a purple cow, I think,
Hoped not to be one; in a wink,
I was the most extraordinary
Bovine in the Violet Dairy!
But weep no wine-inflected drops
When you hear cloven clip’ty-clops
As I approach, for I inspired
A soda jerk ere I retired,
And am remembered better now
Than when I was a Normal cow.
A Particular Kind of Homesickness
The road we ride is an old back road, a highway that goes nowhere fast,
and as we drive and drift and dream, we see the present meet the past,
the way that it has always done from cities to the countryside,
the way we know that history recycles us, and far and wide,
we all return to what we’ve known and circle back to home and hearth
whether together or alone, to best-loved places on the earth.
Is it just crazy, that we long to find ourselves in Mama’s arms,
in childhood’s safety, in our fondest corner of our homes, our farms,
our gardens, houses, classrooms, fields? Is this insanity, or just
finding our life and hope and heart in best-loved places, as we must?
Return to rooted, distant loves, become simplicity and grace,
and find the fields of gold we seek in each his own familiar place.
Yesterday after running errands, we were reluctant to head directly home and do serious Work on a sunny Saturday afternoon, so first we took a couple of brief driving detours into the surrounding ranch-lands and enjoyed a uniquely lush and verdant north Texas spring outing, luxuriating in the marvels of denser woodlands, fuller runoff creeks and richer grasslands than we’ve yet seen since moving down here. Needless to say, we are reveling in the wealth of meadow and pastureland in the surrounding counties, as are all of the horse and cattle herds that didn’t get sold off or butchered outright to evade starvation and thirst in last year’s drought. It’s a beautiful prospect, this well-watered magic we have right now, and inspires the poetic in one’s spirit no matter how it defies other work.
Spring Pastures
Far back among the rolling hills, Where prairie grasses sweep and bow
And the sweet wildflower spills Pour down the slope, the Angus cow
Set farthest back along the line Draws up her calf to join the herd,
Slow-swaying, toward a stand of pine; The rancher there, without a word,
Appears to bring an evening feed, And all the cattle on the clock
That balances content with need, Some time before, began this walk . . .
The faintest glint of sidelong rays Begins to tint the brush with gold
The way late Spring colors her days, As if instead of growing old
She’s only burnishing her tone The more to show her graciousness,
Inviting birds that fly alone To join a choir whose notes confess
A radiant love of living things, Of all that’s sweet and warm and new,
Of leggy calves, of seed that brings That grass now banking up the slough . . .
The cattle walk, now, in their line, Their black flanks shaded in the dusk
With blue-tinged shadows, as a fine Light scent arises like a musk
From all their footsteps tapped in clay, Veils of the thinnest dust laid low
Between the sorghum rows’ array And that tall hayfield yet to mow,
And not one calf among them all Drifts off the center of the trail,
Because they sense their supper-call As sure as seasons never fail . . .
Why, yes I was, thank you. Well, not literally, but hey, we’re all animals, so if I revert to form occasionally, I can hardly be faulted for it. If I step in something nasty from time to time, chances are pretty good that something is of my own manufacture, I’ll grant you, but there is some comfort in knowing we all do the same, that others are as fallible and foible-filled as I am. Mostly if it appears that anyone gives the appearance of perfection, it’s got more to do with one of two things: either they’re more skilled than average at a quick cover-up, recovery or diversion, or they simply don’t do that much–act, change, live–so they’re just playing the odds for an easier win.
I’ve come to terms, I think, with being my own brand of nature-girl when it comes to just being an ordinary, contented chick-sheep-or-bovine and letting the, ahem, chips fall as they may. Being the human beast means I must tend to mucking out my own stall, and I’m at least responsible enough to attempt that, I hope, but it also means that I don’t have to worry too much about trying to be someone or something excessively sophisticated let alone idealized. Every creature does what comes naturally, and we don’t tend to blame the non-human ones for that, other than the occasional bird targeting our shiny cars with their natural output and such. And I promise never to strafe your precious automobile, if that makes you feel any better.
So please pardon my tendency towards inadvertently impolite outbursts, my untimely bodily noises, my awkward kinesis and all of that other too-human beastliness, and I’ll overlook yours as best I can, too. Because we are all in this barnyard together, my friends! PS: my computer just reminded me that the word “kinesis” contains the word “kine,” so the very least you can do is not be too critical if in when motion I resemble a cow. Thank you, and farewell for now. If you should need me, I’ll be over here lounging with my hooves in the trough.
