Hen House Stalkers

Arrived at the white, red-trimmed hen house for collecting

big rocks to put in the bottom of my new veggie tank garden

Pulled myself out of the car and saw a large rooster

standing on one leg at the road-corner of the coop

black-speckled, brilliant-red wattle and crest, beady eyes staring my direction

He suddenly opened his beak and produced a loud cockadoodling that made

His whole body stretch toward the sky

I laughed and noticed the coop’s open door, protected with a screen-door

and realized this handsome fellow was role-playing Adam’s part

hanging around the forbidden fruits

He ‘doodled again as I clucked the best chicken garble I knew while

making my way around the back of the house to find a pile of rocks

I picked up two rocks, carried them back to the car, turned to make

another trip and noticed the rooster now staring through the screen door

desperately trying to see the invisible cackling hens

He cockadoodled to the sky a couple more times

I laughed again and picked my way to the back for more rocks

After several trips, I saw that the rooster had left, but he ‘doodled from across the

narrow road and an answering ‘doodle sounded from a

second black-speckled rooster, just as imposing as the first

Those hens had better watch out, two roosters stalking on a pretty spring day!

Advertisement

Inaction in the Rain

Sitting in the car, in the rain, waiting on trains

Thoughts splashing around our brains, like…

“It’s raining and we’re held up, so naturally the bladder wakes up!”

“’Passing trains’ is a nice title for a book or a musical group…”

“How ‘bout ‘Transports Passing’, or…”

“Wait! Speaking of transport passing, I really gotta go…” and the trains end

Travel takes the thoughts off of pressing matters.

Actions of Science

(I wrote this last February, never posted it…what’s wrong with me?)

The clothes dryer’s heat vapor blows up in tendrils

puffing over the porch

crystallized snowflakes float down behind the white puffs

I’m inside drinking hot dark cocoa

Dove in a Bad Mood

(This happened this morning under the bird feeder outside)

A girl has to look out for herself now and then

Hard winter freezing to death

Now the husband wants to get flirty

She’s hungry, had enough

Peck, jab, peck, attack

He runs for shelter

She returns to calmly eat like doves do

Then repeats the protection sequence through the day

Knowing that soon, she’ll need to start another family, but

A girl has to look out for her own self now and then

Water Softener

A field

rough as a corncob

softens in a gentle winter rain