Chickens

As a child I knew that Negroes kept chickens
For some kind of demonic ceremony.

We ate chicken once a week. I never associated those birds
With the stretched neck variety that hung in the butcher shop.
I wasn’t sure where scrambled eggs came from,
But I was assured it was not from chickens.

On a weekend upstate, which means beyond The Bronx,
I fed some chickens. They were loud, very loud.
I broke an egg & immediately heard of the devastation
I had caused in the chicken community.

Here are a few incredible insights into “chickaneri”
There are over 100 breeds, which come in different flavors.
There are an estimated 25 billion chickens in the world.
Placed end-to-end they would circle the globe 12 times.
(Homeland Security might consider using them
To suffocate incoming missiles.)
If chickens could organize they’d still be stupid.


Everyone who was not raised in Brooklyn has a chicken story.

I DON’T WANT TO HEAR THEM!!