Farming Tips and Sex Tricks from Housewives of Blue Earth County

leave the mud on
perfect your sense of direction
throw dead tractors over cliffs
do not mess with the wiring
 
be true as raw meat
use udder balm to keep your feet soft
always carry a straight slot and pliers
never plow the same field twice
 
know that some people want you
to stay the same but tell them
you are not breakfast cereal
at least you better not be
 
when the cornfield starts curling
and the crows get too many
drive through town shouting
we’re all going to live forever
 
work eighteen-hour days
no need to walk the line
just learn to look at metal
and melt it with your eyes
 
 
 

Jeanne Lutz grew up on a dairy farm in southern Minnesota, attended the University of Ireland, Galway, earned her B.A. in English from St. Catherine University, spent two years in Tokyo, and now lives in Minneapolis. She is the author of the chapbook, Hearts and Harrows, co-written with Richard Donnelly, and her poems can be found in a variety of publications including Conduit.