The Cow Speaks to the Child

There’s no me without you, 
says the cow in the sunlight 
being looked at, being drawn 
by the child with crayons. 

Is the hill an almond? the child 
wants to know. Is life irrefutable? 

The start of ‘me’ is the start of 
the ending of ‘you.’ See that hole
in your sock where
the cold can get through?

The child’s toe sticks 
through the hole now.

Some philosophers grow ulcers 
from eating loneliness. 
There’s not much we know.

The cow’s tongue smacks its lips. 

The child fills in its spots 
with blue crayon and silence. 
A dragonfly or not.