even the cows knew

you find out
through whispered
secrets
on cold death beds
that your last name
is not really your last
name.
your father's mother
had a little
fling in 1928
that resulted in
your father being
born. everyone
suspected what the truth
was.
he looked exactly
like a man
in another town,
not like her husband.
it was scandalous
and the gossip
spread like
wild fire
across each farm
land fence,
the words
blowing across
the acres of corn
and wheat throughout
the years. even
the cows lifted
their bent
ears in amusement,
nodding to
one another what
they always knew.