Conversing with cattle

 

Conversing with cattle

I’m awkward,
never know what to say
to the mouth of a cow
but the dog, born social, likes to stop and chat
on our walks passing Bechwati’s pasture
where mama Hazel
and her gigantic boy Hazelnut
greet us at the fence.

Exchange is mostly silent
neck-lowering with deep huffs of scent,
ear-flick, tail-twitch,
eye-avoidance, front leg crouch
with farts for punctuation.

It is not my world
yet briefly is.

Never a hug,
never a handshake,
never a tip of the hat
until one of us will simply turn
and we all walk away,
richer for the day.

…..

First published in Gyroscope
Photo by ulleo on Pixabay