“Afternoon with Irish Cows”: When is a Cow More Than Just a Cow? Timothy Sexton College

It is not the worst thing in the world to assume that a poem about an obvious subject is actually about that subject. In fact, it is not only perfectly natural, it is sometimes preferable. Sometimes, but not very often. And it is even worse is when the subject is so endowed with the sense of being obvious that one lets their guard down too easily. The overwhelming consensus on the subject of “Afternoon with Irish Cows” by Billy Collins is about is that is right there in the title. The problem, of course, is that there are two very significant words in that title and the one that seems the most obvious may not necessarily be the one the poem is really about.

Which is not to say that “Afternoon with Irish Cows” is not about cows in an Irish field. The question is whether that it is the only thing it is about or even is that what it is really—really—about. Clues suggest otherwise. Since poetry explication is all about looking for clues in order interpret deeper meanings, the voluminous accumulation of clues is what is known in the business as a very big deal. Fortunately, the subject sitting on the surface requires simple language and therefore extrication of deeper meaning in the poem doesn’t require an advanced degree, but...