The Cow Can’t Fear Something Eternal

← v5n1, Spring 2006

Cowboy song with no words

to the cows—the one inspired

by your dream of tying a steak

just isn’t true.

If I spoke to the spirit of the cow, and if it was unusual

and impassable—then I would tell her

what she gave up on so easily. And if the cow said nothing in the end?

I’d call her Pan,

I’d call her Vice-President of My Heart. I’d say

Come on, just one night.

animals desire humor

Sarah Vap

Sarah Vap’s third collection of poems, Faulkner’s Rosary , is forthcoming from Saturnalia Books. She is the author of two books of poetry, American Spikenard (University of Iowa Press, 2007), winner of the 2006 Iowa Poetry Prize, and Dummy Fire (Saturnalia Books, 2007), winner of the 2006 Saturnalia Poetry Prize. She lives on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, teaches at Olympic College, and serves as poetry editor for 42opus .