A Bovine Holiday

'Those cows in the truck, where are they going?'
The little girl asked her mother, not knowing.
It was a question from the innocent young,
That causes a parent to bite their tongue.

Like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny,
The Tooth Fairy and bees that make honey,
When do you break that innocent pact,
And confront a child with a cold, hard fact?

Mum took awhile to compose her reply,
And decided fantasy was what she'd apply.
'Those cows in the truck,' she did finally say,
'Are off on a well-earned holiday.

'Their farmer decided they've worked so well,
He's sent them away to have a spell.
They're probably going down to the beach,
Or greener pasture on the river's reach'.

The little girl considered this for awhile,
As they followed the truck mile after mile.
At last she responded, as children do,
'Do cows like having a barbecue?'

Craig Nelson 2008