Cathy Xinman’s poem “I Love This Grass-Eating Cow” serves as a tribute to the profound interconnectedness of life through its imagery and expression. Her verses honour the sanctity of motherhood and the enduring values that unite humanity—reflecting life’s cycles, sacrificial love, communal belonging, resilience, and gratitude. The Toronto Spark is publishing Xinman’s poem in advance Mother’s Day to invite readers to recognize the deep bonds that connect us all.
I Love This Grass-Eating Cow
I love the pain of childbirth.
I love the wearied joy.
I love the newborn infant
Sleeping peacefully in a mother’s arms.
The ancient humanity—
Milk born from the breast—
Is the love we cherish,
Radiant,
Beginning from your embrace.
It is a golden wave of wheat,
Swaying with the wind,
An endless stretch of green.
I love the road stirred by wind beneath the sky.
I love this grass-eating dairy cow.
I love the mother who belongs to everyone.
I love what seeks peace,
What is strong—
The pain and sweat
That have struggled through the mud.
I love this calling,
Nurtured and infused through the blood:
Love, respect, praise, and gratitude.
Cathy Xinman writes poetry in Chinese and English. Her English-language collection is entitled Where You Love Yourself. Find it on Amazon. Learn more about the communities that make up Canada on the Toronto Spark website. The Toronto Spark is on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
