ON TV

                                                  You can’t starve a livin’
                                                  out of a bunch of cows.
                                                            – E. J. Britten

We watch the weather in the winter,
gather where we can between rains
branding calves before they grow
to be work, while it’s easiest on them

between clips of the aftermath
of homegrown terrorists, or Falstaff
as his crew of postured orators
waving grandly at God as if to claim

His omniscient endorsement.
There is much to fear, nowadays:
the flu has taken over California—
gun permits at an all-time high.

They have extended parts
of the Farm Bill, re-subsidized
the dairy guys, but let the droughts
slide with not enough votes to matter.

We watch the weather on winter nights
and wonder why no one seems
to understand that starving a farmer
won’t help keep your plate full.