Jake's Flea Market

yesterday’s birth was bred
nine months ago or so

no bull

left hand
forearm almost to the elbow plastic bagged
pushed into the cow through the ass
cervix grasped

needle in the right hand
thick as a slender finger pushed
into the cow through the vulva
through the cervix in the hand
into the muscle skinned
bag the uterus

semen in the needle released

bull in the semen turned
loose in the bag

artificial insemination

in the bag egg laid
seed scattered
fertilized

yesterday’s calf hatched   sprouted
calf in the bag began to grow   grew
quickly grew   large grew   too large stretched
the bag out stretched

before she stretched
it too far before she stretched
it beyond repair before she stretched
it to the point of tearing open before she began
to butcher the cow from the inside i tell you

her mother didn’t
let the calf out of the bag

she pushed it out