The Cow Who Jumped Over the Moon
This is it! (mooed the cow)
I’ll leave the earth behind.
One small hoof for heifers,
one giant leap for cow-kind.
I’ve hurdled over haystacks,
I’ve cleared the highest dairy,
I’ve backflipped every barn,
but it never felt this scary.
Will I land my solo moonshot?
Will they love my lunar ballet?
Will I gleam like a shiny spoon
dipping in the Milky Way?
Mooove over self-doubt.
I’ve trained for this vault.
And if I don’t make it,
well, that’s gravity’s fault.
Three, two, one—she jumped,
launching like a spacecraft.
The farmer cheered, “She did it!”
His little dog just laughed.
I’ll leave the earth behind.
One small hoof for heifers,
one giant leap for cow-kind.
I’ve hurdled over haystacks,
I’ve cleared the highest dairy,
I’ve backflipped every barn,
but it never felt this scary.
Will I land my solo moonshot?
Will they love my lunar ballet?
Will I gleam like a shiny spoon
dipping in the Milky Way?
Mooove over self-doubt.
I’ve trained for this vault.
And if I don’t make it,
well, that’s gravity’s fault.
Three, two, one—she jumped,
launching like a spacecraft.
The farmer cheered, “She did it!”
His little dog just laughed.
This poem is copyright (©) Stefan Karlsson 2023
About the Writer
Stefan Karlsson
Stefan is a poet and artist. He received his MFA in Poetry from the University of California-Irvine. His poems (for adults) have appeared in Fourteen Hills, Sugar House Review, and Spillway, among others. His paper marbling artwork can be found on Instagram: @nautiluspaper. He lives in Portland, Oregon, where he drinks too much coffee, hoards too many books, and has never enough time with his rabbit, Jean-Pierre.
