Friday, November 1, 2013

Speckled Hen



Tucking in the Chickens, by Maria Wulf of Bedlam Farm , from her Full Moon Fibre Art blog.
Posted for Margaret's challenge at Real Toads: to write a poem in any form  inspired by the visual poetry of Maria Wulf.

Here you go, girls,
with your sleepy eyes, 
tired from hunting insects 
and spying scattered seed all day,
your feathers ruffled from 
racing each other to the far-flung corn,
feelings hurt by being beaten to the best bites,
each day all energy expended
to making it through the daily struggle
for survival.

Come in here, where your roosts 
are plump with fresh hay,
where, door shut, you can be assured
no fox or raccoon will disturb your sleep.
Your soft mournful brooding sounds 
and doleful clucks
sing down the sunset, as you picky-toe 
your bulky body in a circle, 
settling yourself into the hay,
feathers puffed  in outrage
at being thus observed
at your nightly toilette.

I will leave you, then,
speckled being,
wishing you a fine sleep,
dreams of ample corn 
and bugs and table scraps
on the morrow,
and - a hen's dearest dream -
a round and perfect egg
in your nest
come morning,
which you will view with pride
and a beady eye,
knowing no other hen
can possibly birth
a finer one 
than yours.





36 comments:

  1. fun. You make their life on the farm into a paradise.

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  2. "and doleful clucks
    sing down the sunset, as you picky-toe
    your bulky body in a circle, "

    That is pure gold! I grew up loving daily fresh eggs, but lived in FEAR of putting my hand under a broody hen to collect the eggs. It's almost as if they new my fear and they didn't do a thing when my mother did it! I also was chased to many times to count by the rooster - I'd dash for the nearest wooden fence screaming - my mom just said "stand still, stop running" but I KNOW he would have attacked me anyway. I always enjoyed the beheading of the roosters - never liked watching the hens meet their fate. (we had lots of frozen chicken in our freezer)

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  3. Chickens can be so fascinating. Does not really matter who comes first, the chicken or the egg. They're all finger licking good! Great write Sherry!

    Hank

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  4. Well, I'm vegetarian so I see your poem from a different perspective than how good they are to eat. Ha. I appreciate them, I'm not fully mindful because I do eat the eggs. I hope they understand. I like how you wrote this. It sort of romanticized them for me.

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  5. I love this endearment, "speckled being," and the pride in the perfect egg...the comfort of the roost that you portray is palpable, Sherry. Well done!

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  6. i think that how we treat animals says much of how we treat each other...all life is sacred isnt it? and a hen is not different from any other mother taking pride is she? smiles.

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  7. Nice poem, I feel your love to all these chickens 'girls' :)

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  8. wishing you a fine sleep,
    dreams of ample corn
    and bugs and table scraps
    on the morrow,
    and - a hen's dearest dream -
    a round and perfect egg
    in your nest
    ...............simply beautiful...

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  9. You capture the comforting world of hens so well in this poem, Sherry.

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  10. You must know hens well. :) I agree with Margaret on her choice of words to showcase. Fantastic as always!!

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  11. I enjoyed your poem~ I knew you would bring it and it would be filled with wonder and care!
    Love this one! :D

    I agree with Brian-I do think the way we treat animals does say a lot about us~ I like you love animals~

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  12. I wouldn't want a hen's life, Sherry. But you definitely have honored the 'speckled being' with your words. Smiles.

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  13. If girls can be chicks, I suppose hens can be girls! Loved the evocation of this hen house, Sherry.

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  14. Interesting....
    transporto a different world!

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  15. Such an enjoyable read. I particularly liked this bit: "Your soft mournful brooding sounds/and doleful clucks/sing down the sunset".
    -HA

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  16. beautiful, how you capture the life, if only it was such fun for all the hens..

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  17. This is magnificent - your words are like cooing those hens. There is a real concern for their wellbeing.. So good to have a hen-mother to care for them.

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  18. Over many years from childhood on chickens have features in my family's lives and the rapport that builds between man and hens is sometimes endearing...less so with the cockerel!

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  19. wonderful details for a typically pastoral picture.

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  20. Love how this piece of poetry could be interpreted both literally as well as as a metaphor... either way it is fun and beautiful! <3

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  21. ah, to be treated so well, and treasured so much

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  22. ha. i like their pride in their eggs....though i wonder how they really feel at us taking the eggs...or them for fried chicken dinner....smiles....enjoy the comfort while you can little speckled beings...

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  23. I liked this one very fun and reminds me of my grandparents farm.

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  24. I'm thinking the chicks feel the care and love toward them... x

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  25. I love the feel of this Sherry! Wonderful capture of their lives

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  26. I guess every being has unique dreams inside its fine sleep...a wonderful tale of these lucky chickens. A treat to read.

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  27. a wonderful fun write, thank you for dropping in at the Sunday Lime

    much love...

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  28. I love how dearly and sweetly you respect the world of the chicken, Sherry. We owe a lot to these simple creatures who value comfort and safety just like we all do. I don't eat chickens but I do eat their eggs...

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  29. delightful poem, Sherry.
    those chicken are so lucky if you're looking after them. :)

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  30. You make their world come alive - this is the world I heard as a child. Its a magical place.
    Excellent Ms Sherry ( a bit speckled herself)

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