Bella

Bella by Odin Roark The air is cold I wash the udder with warm water Milking begins Bella So giving Her liquid life ever faithful Even as she bears aloneness Day and night Straw An icy water bucket Her only friends Until milking time Is there warmth and tenderness here Does she dream at times Fleeting memories Perhaps sun on her back Green grass between her teeth Fly and mosquito agitation Seasonal parts of her life What of the calf Once hers Pressed lovingly against her legs Warmth and tenderness Enjoying fragrances only mother and child can know I look up Her brown eyes blink Our mute conversation pauses Both knowing another winter day Has passed She sighs Memories rising from Her heavy body Driven beneath the cold Deep into her sluggish bloodstream Preserved in summer's hideaway I stand Stroking her large head Scratching the roots of her horns Rendering huge moist eyes to linger We reconnect Even though We'll never know much of each other Lifting the bucket of warm milk I lean in and whisper You are loved dear Bella Truly I step outside Darkness sets in Like the eyelid of despair Closing without desire to open At my heels The cat tilts her head Her tongue anticipating Bella settles Holding faithfully to Night's ever promising pledge Tomorrow's dawn will come