She walked through pastures green
beneath an oppressive sky,
warm July drizzle drifting down
over web-strewn hedgerows,
bejewelling her coat
and forming tiny pearls
on her long, black lashes.

Lost in reverie, she ambled
slowly down hill towards
a reed-edged stream
where, she recalled,
small birds chased midges
when the hot sun shone;
but not today, when humidity
stifled their flight,
keeping them close by men's houses
in search of scraps
and small, errant insects.

Absently, she noticed the long grasses
clinging wetly to her legs,
and as dim thoughts lumbered
through her bovine brain,
wondered if she and her sisters
would be taken away for milking
before the downpour broke.