Dairyman poem #7

from a letter to Jackie from her father, 1959 you’ve heard about the cow tags I forget when we quit stapling a metal clip to their ears that worked fine hardly cost a cent but the new colored straps cost a lot and often broke we tried chains around their necks these would catch — one bonny bossy nearly strangled herself on the manure pile’s rail erv fonda found a red strap the other day long torn off a cow — plowed under I guess — it is now hanging on a tree in his yard when he came in the office I poked an old invoice under his nose erv I said those things never grew on trees

© 2011 Jacqueline Jackson