Headed South on Hwy. 99
Headed south on Highway 99 it's an old pickup truck pulling a cattle trailer.
The driver is an old guy in some wool plaid coat -- never seen such a style
The trailer is a tired ochre color, or maybe burnt sienna, with two Black &
They stick their big wet noses through the gaps in the trailer. They seem to
A bumper sticker on the trailer says "Ski California." I wonder if they are
Do they boot a ski to each hoof? Or do they do one long ski on each side? I
Shredding the moguls with their tails snapping and cracking like whips. Their
They don't ski the trees. With four legs it's hard to get jiggy in the
It's getting late and some weather is rolling in. They ride the lift to the
They cough out the smoke and hork some spit to the side. Look out down below,
The chair hits the top and they spill out and stop. Ratchet down those boots
They push off and point 'em downhill. The last run of the day -- They pop some
My exit comes up and I swing off. The pistachio truck and the cattle trailer
It's a '65 Chevy Custom/10 with step-sides and heavy wheel wells. The paint
job is the color of pistachio almond ice cream over the body. The cab is
painted white and so is the grill. It looks kind of Art Deco in a way that is
retro. But I know that can't be so. Art Deco and farming just don't go.
anywhere like it. He's got on big goofy straw hat. Somehow it fits the scene.
The passenger is just a gray shadow blur I catch a glimpse of at 65 M.P.H.
through the window of my little car.
White cows inside. I don't follow too close. Change lanes and get beside 'em.
Who knows when those two last saw a rest stop!
suck in a big blast of highway wind and then pull their noses back in. Reminds
me of whales breaking the surface- "THAR SHE BLOWS!" and then re-submerging.
headed south for Mammoth and if they got good snow. Wonder what a lift ticket
for a cow costs?
can just see those Black & Whites weighting and un-weighting those boards.
Carving a turn, cutting through a gate. Back in the lift line, impatient but
gotta wait!
udders dragging in the snow. I wonder if they wear goggles and wool hats the
color of pink Day-Glo! At noon they hit the lodge to split a bail of hay.
Maybe some coffee and warm Grand Marnier. A hot toddy for the big Black &
White body!
branches. If they biff it in a snow-well who'd pull their big butts out? Not
the Ski Patrol!
top of the mountain. Take a big swig from a bota-bag made from the skin of a
pig. Kahlua is what they drink. It just goes with the territory...they light a
doobie and suck in and hold till their big eyes turn pink.
hope that parka is cow slobber proof! They giggle as only high dairy cows can
do. It's been a great day, they do a high five...well maybe it's only two...
-- It's the last run of the day. "Maybe next time we'll try snowboarding," one
Bessie does say. The other laughs and says, "That's gotta be worth some
hoots!"
air and land hard in a big wide turn. The lift tickets attached to their ears
are a snapping and a flapping! Two Black & Whites carving for home. The
munchies have kicked in and they got a hunger to fill. Twinkies and nachos,
that's what they need. Watch out 'cause these two milkers gotta feed!
pass me on my left. I take a short cut through a Zinfandel vineyard and I
wonder if cows ever drink red wine with their fish. And then...I think about
getting my radio fixed....
All text and images in The Central California Poetry Journal are copyrighted. Copyright by © by Scott Galloway 1999. All rights are reserved. See main Journal page for
copyright information.
Authors and poets submitting original materials to this journal retain all rights to their
original work, except those rights specifically assigned in writing to Solo Publications including the right to publish the submitted work in The Central California Poetry Journal. The poems on this page are copyrighted by the author. Copyright © J.W. Gurtis III 1999.
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