The Cattle
Diane Payne
Pedaling up a mountain hill
covered with wildflowers and
rare desert grass, I noticed
a calf nursing, and for once,
didn’t find myself cursing the
cattle grazing on public lands.
Instead, I got off my bike and
quietly waited, suddenly realizing
that nursing was one of the few
things in life I deem as sacred,
similar to the way Hindus respect
cows, and a man latches onto a
woman’s breast. The calf nursed
and nursed, reminding me of my
daughter taking her own sweet time.
Diane Payne
Pedaling up a mountain hill
covered with wildflowers and
rare desert grass, I noticed
a calf nursing, and for once,
didn’t find myself cursing the
cattle grazing on public lands.
Instead, I got off my bike and
quietly waited, suddenly realizing
that nursing was one of the few
things in life I deem as sacred,
similar to the way Hindus respect
cows, and a man latches onto a
woman’s breast. The calf nursed
and nursed, reminding me of my
daughter taking her own sweet time.