Cows graze in the pasture.
Beautiful green grass in the foreground
Mountains in the background
Against a blue sky with puffy white clouds.

 I unload the big heavy view camera
And begin the process
Of setting up the tripod,
Mounting the camera,
Attaching the lens.

As I do my work,
The cows begin to move.
I haven’t noticed
Until I dip my head
Under the drape
To focus the lens. 

Before me is not
The serene landscape
I came to shoot
But a group of cows
Now only fifteen feet away
All looking right at me.

One moves up close enough
To fill my viewfinder
Demanding a portrait,
Not a landscape.

Never knew that speed was necessary
When photographing cows
But they are clearly
More curious
Than cats.