The Milk Run, Story 2 Poem by maria goodison

I had just made myself a cup of tea; when I could smell a very
odd smell, in fact it was a really fowl stench invading my kitchen
even though the back door was shut.
Slowly the door opened, the smell got stronger I could actually
taste the smell.
There before me stood the wombles, blond womble now had greenish
hair covered in a concoction of muddy/cow pat dirt from head to foot.
Not only was the black hair womble in the same state, but she was shaking
shivering, I thought with the cold.
Not trusting myself to speak I motioned for them to go around the back, where
I turned the hose on to them.
I said one word "STRIP" the only thing that I possessed that would actually fit
them were the two nightdresses I owned.
I picked up their clothes with tongs and put them all except shoes in to my washing machine.
The next words from me was "BATH GO" the wombles silently trudged off, when they came down again at least they looked more human.
They both sat down, I had made them a cup of tea and laid a cigarette for each.
"What ah; "what um"
"Wha. I seemed to stutter in a confused way "Happened" finished the blonde womble.
"Yeh. Is a - is she ok? " I asked.
Meanwhile black haired womble kept muttering "Big cow, hairy cow, big horns, L-O-N-G horns, hard horns, pointy horns "! ! ,
Speechless I pointed at the womble two. "She'll be ok " said the blonde womble.
"Clothes " she then asked = "Washing" I answered.
"We ran out of milk " began the blonde womble "Decided to get fresh milk can't get fresher then straight from the cow can you; found a field with a cow oh cow standing all alone in a field.
Didn't move when we entered the field, moved a bit, so we sang to it, you know music calms animals.
We sang Bo-peep an it stood still, we went right up to it, cow was so calm, I held the can, she only had to pull a pad or two.
Odd tho English cows have four paps don't they. This one only had one that she could feel.
So I said give um a good pull and other three might drop down."
Here she paused a bit and all the while the black hair womble was still muttering.
Blonde womble wailed;
"Twernt no cow it was a bull it didn't just moo, it bellowed. It ran away a bit turned an looked at us, I swear I saw steam come out it's nose,
! RUN!We ran,we were nearer the barbed wire fence then the gate, we thought we could jump the fence.
You know there was three strips of barb wire... farmer frigging Giles wound electric wire with each strip of barbed wire, well I gotover ok an fell into the ditch, she got stuck couldn't climb can you? She got shocked every time she moved.
I tried to pull her off but every time I touched her I got a shock cause I was wet "
Here she stopped pointing at the cigarette on the table, I just nodded, she lit it and put in to the black hair womble mouth, I think to shut her up as she was still muttering.
"I found a stick, you know and sort of prised her off.
Left a bit of fur behind we came here, another cuppy would be good"
I could not hold back anymore, "What made you two think one cow in a field was a good idea? "
The blonde womble came back at me with.
"Well there are no more male cows, it's all done by A I stuff"
The black hair womble spoke up with "foreign "
We both look at her in silence.