Friday 15 April 2011

Happy Birthday to Moo!

Today was the birthday of a particularly special friend of mine, whose love of cows not only helped me to blag our way into the launch party of the Edinburgh Cow Parade, but also inspired me to write this poem (about her, perhaps, or another friend, both of whose names are disguised by epithets in the dedication.)

Triolet for a Cowgirl


For ‘Cassie’ and ‘Ethel’

The day the painted cows paraded through
you wore your hair up in a pony-tail.
This isn’t how I pictured you
the day the painted cows paraded through
beside our chosen bovine Vettriamoo1.
I swore, for sure, you wore your hair in pig-tails.
But no: the day the cows paraded through
you wore your hair up in a pony-tail?














Note:
1 For fun, the final syllable of ‘Vettriamoo’ should be given the fullest stress. This cow, based on Vettriano's painting, ‘The Singing Butler,’ stood outside St John's Church, on the corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road during the Edinburgh Cow Parade of 2006. (My picture was taken at the Launch Party - note the glass of wine by her left foot!)  The artist who designed and painted it wanted to name her cow ‘Vettriamoo’ but her sponsors wouldn’t let her.  My poem pays homage to the artist, Ginie Naisby, and so many happy (but fading) memories. 



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