The Speaker

While speakers should not automatically be equated with the poet, the speaker in "Standing on the Earth Among the Cows" resembles Malena Mörling in a few different ways. Firstly, they both speak English and Swedish, as exemplified in the line, "I said nothing in English or Swedish" when the speaker is rendered speechless by the sight of cows (8). Secondly, they both share a love for nature and a desire to feel grounded in the present moment. In this way, the speaker in "Standing on the Earth Among the Cows" possibly channels Mörling's own experiences.

The speaker recalls traveling through rural Wyoming and being struck by the contentment of cows in a field. This ordinary moment sparks a profound sense of interconnectedness. In the poem's present, the speaker wishes to recover this state of being.

The Cows

The speaker notices "thousands of cows / totally at home...