Michelle Kippes
April 10, 2008

It’s late April now
The cow herd is almost done
Guess those mama cows did most of the work
Don’t know why I’m the tired one

Cow dogs and horses are shedding their hair
Following nature’s eternal code
While glossy, wide-eyed calves run here and there
A rancher’s blessing to behold

The cow herd has nearly doubled in size
Haystacks are almost gone
Cow pies are scattered everywhere
Spring cleaning not yet done

The calendar says its springtime
Though you wouldn’t know it to look outdoors
Huge, wet flakes of falling snow
Once so anticipated, now find themselves deplored

Winter fights to hold its grip
The wind like screaming mountain lions
I get down on bended knee and pray
For green grass and branding irons