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.