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I don't know if cattle
believe in God
but I do know desert cows
observe the Sabbath.
After cow bells ring,
the high soprano
voice of the red heifer
leads the choir
as the congregation gathers
at the waterfalls,
anoint their heads with holy
water and socialize.
Although the big black bull
preaches the sermon,
it is not he who keeps
the sinners in line.
It is the cow with the disapproving
stare that turns
even the most errant calf
into a pillar of salt.
From Desert Directions (2015).
Used here with permission.
Photo credit: Sharon Waller Knutson
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Sharon Waller Knutson lives in a house her husband, Albert, built out of clay from the land on a dirt road in the middle of a wildlife habitat and open range of the Arizona desert. A retired journalist, she writes poetry for readers who don’t normally read poetry. In 2014, Sharon sold her chapbook, My Grandmother Smokes Chesterfields, to winter visitors from all over the world in a café where her husband played guitar and sang country music. Her customers told her they expected her to publish a new poetry book when they returned each year so, in 2015, she published Desert Directions, about her life in the desert. In 2016, she published They Affectionately Call Her a Dinosaur, poems about her customers and other seniors in her life who started new careers, businesses, and relationships after they retired. In 2017, she published I Did it Anyway, poems about how she broke the glass ceiling in the newspaper business in the ‘60s and ‘70s, when women were typically relegated to the society pages. Many more books followed, and now Sharon maintains an entertaining blog called Storyteller Poetry Review. Sharon and Albert (now retired from his music gig) stay busy raising assorted critters and enjoying their 11 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
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Lori Levy:
Love the way the cows are portrayed in this poem.
Posted 02/28/2021 02:00 PM
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Arlene Gay Levine:
Charming, wise and fun!
Posted 02/28/2021 12:52 PM
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joecot:
Holy cow! Nice poem.
Posted 02/28/2021 12:48 PM
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peninsulapoet:
I love a poetry that recognizes the holiness in the creatures that surround us. Sharon is good at writing such poetry and with the dded charm of humor.
Posted 02/28/2021 11:16 AM
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Shoshauna Shy:
I can hear them all! Too funny ------
Posted 02/28/2021 09:22 AM
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mjorlock:
Nice little poem from a poet whose biography reads like a slice of Americana.
Posted 02/28/2021 08:24 AM
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Gilbert Allen:
I enjoyed reading this poem, which reminds me a bit of Thomas Hardy's "The Oxen."
Posted 02/28/2021 08:21 AM
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