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Only A Boy
I remember the first time I tried it —
I was only a kid of fifteen.
And even though she was much younger than me,
She was far more composed and serene.
It was out in the barn, I remember,
At the close of a summer day,
And the evening was scented with clover in bloom
And the fragrance of freshly mown hay.
I remember she made no objection,
Showed no evidence of alarm,
For I loved her, and she — I am sure — loved me
Since she first came to live on our farm.
I remember she moved a bit closer,
And the touch of her body was warm,
As my fingers moved awkwardly over her throat,
While she nestled her head on my arm.
For her eyes seemed, I thought, to rebuke me
For waiting — for being afraid,
And even old Nellie, our ancient plow horse,
Looked over her manger and neighed.
Long later, I stood up, uncertain
Of whether to stay or to run,
A-tingle with pride, and yet shaken and awed
As I knew that, at last, it was done.
I remember (it seemed hours later),
How my heart hammered under my blouse,
With the joy of a boy that's turned into a man
As I made my way back to the house.
Twenty years have gone by since that evening,
But I've never forgotten, I vow,
The thrill and the joy that I felt as a boy
On that day when I first milked a cow!