burnished fluff
above cream and white
sets on fashioned straw
bright amber eyes
under textured soft red
tilt, watch, and wait
doughy hand curls
around, lifts, tosses
henkibble. squawk!
instant ejection,
propulsion, gobbling,
distracted, reveals
six oval promises —
promises that will soon be kept
I remember the few years we kept chickens. Several of the hens couldn’t care less when it came time to gather the eggs, but there were a few brooders, who were quite upset when we came to get them. I wonder if the characteristic of the human mood called brooding is based on unhappy non-human animals having their children stolen from them by humans and other predators? In my poem, I want this hen to have a happy ending, where her eggs are allowed to become baby chicks.
Merril is today’s host of dVerse. Merril says:
Set your poetic course and use the word set—or some form of the word–in our unique dVerse form, the quadrille. If you’re new to dVerse or the quadrille, it’s simply a poem of 44 words, excluding the title. It can be in any form, rhymed or unrhymed, metered, or unmetered. You can write a haibun quadrille, too. Just make certain your total wordcount is exactly 44 words. You MUST use the word “set” or some form of it in your poem.
graphic: “A Hen on the Nest,” by Govert Dircksz. Camphuysen
Tao Talk 
I love the sounds of this–and the colors in the painting. I never would have thought of set and hens. 🙂
My former midwife now has “therapy hens” and fresh eggs. There are no roosters around, so the eggs wouldn’t be chicks.
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Thank you very much, Merril. I can see where hens could be therapeutic, especially without the rooster chasing them.
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Yes, she takes them to various places/events. They wear diapers.
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When a child we raised chickens. I love six oval promises. It never got old for me seeing those eggs!
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🙂
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I hope the hens would at least be allowed a few little chicks….
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Bjorn it is a matter of logistics, as hens often lay eggs in a few communal nests. If you are going to let the brooding hen hatch them, you’d have to keep her sequestered with her eggs, or you wouldn’t know which ones to take. We never tried to let the hens hatch their eggs, which was a disservice to the brooders.
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I love this. Oval promises…omelets, yum. We kept chickens when I was growing up. It was fun.
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Chickens are a lot of work, the biggest job being keeping them alive. We failed them. The first time we had roosters which did a good job of protecting them, but they attacked us when we tried to take the eggs. We gave the roosters to some friends who had a larger flock, which made it easier to gather the eggs, but then they had no protection.
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This is a fabulous poem Jade, and a wonderful way to use the word!
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Linda, thanks!
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What fun. My mother raised chickens and sold eggs, and I thought to write something about her “old settin’ hens”, which is what she called the brooders. When it was my task to gather eggs, I had a short stick I used to test to see if the hen would peck me so I could avoid rude surprises. I called it my “peckin’ stick” and as life unfolded and I met testy people I often wished to have my “peckin’ stick” again! I’m so glad you featured the nesting hen!
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Beverly I love your connection/memory with raising chickens and the wisdom that was gleaned about the peckin’ stick ❤ Thank you and glad you enjoyed it.
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Free range chickens next door, no roosters. We buy fresh eggs from them weekly. I certainly can see and taste the difference from store bought.
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Oh yes, Glenn, there is no comparison between CAFO eggs and free range. You are lucky to have those critters so close to you.
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I remember getting pecked as well when collecting eggs on our farm as a child.
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I loved the description in this poem, you create a wonderful picture, for the non-chicken raiser!
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Thank you 🙂
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A pleasure!
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Very sweet poem, Lisa. Heart-warming!
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🙂 Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
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A valid point Li! Eggs are to them their babies.
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Yes. For anyone who eats eggs, best not to think about this too much 😦
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I agree, and I do.
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The words have the golden light of the painting. Chickens are such interesting and beautiful creatures. (K)
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❤ Thank you, Kerfe. Yes they are. Ours were tame as we got them when they were chicks. We made sure to hold each one at least once a day. They were easy to pick up as hens, except for the roosters. Their rooster testosterone kicked in and they changed to rapist/protectors.
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six oval promises…. I love it! You must have grown up on a farm!
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Dwight, no, I’m a city girl born and raised, but I moved out to the country in 2011. We bought chicks from the feed store and started the learning process then.
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How wonderful. Chickens can be challenging, but great fun to raise! Nothing like fresh eggs.
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The biggest challenge we found was keeping them alive. We failed. We had them in good enclosure with chicken wire all around, but the predators dug under the dirt floor, killed them in a gruesome way and left them laying there.
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Wow! how sad. must have been a fox or a weasel!
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Dwight the mystery to me is why go to all that trouble to dig a tunnel in, if you’re going to leave the food behind? Why kill just to kill? I have yet to find the answer to it. I just know my heart broke when it happened.
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Some animals are like some humans… no rhyme or reason to it!
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Wonderful visual of collecting eggs Lisa, and the contributing hen!
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Thanks, Rob!
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That was delightful 🙂💕
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Thanks Christine glad you liked it.
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Such a gorgeous description and a beautiful image, Jade! I have a soft spot for poultry, and hens are so colourful – ‘burnished fluff’ and the contrast of cream and white – and they make the most amazing sounds. I love the idea of eggs as ‘promises that will soon be kept’ – new chicks or breakfast!
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❤ Thanks Kim!
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I learnt a lot about chicken raising today, Li. I enjoyed it. 🙂
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Thank you, Punam!
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You are welcome!
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They only time I ever tried to collect eggs, I managed to get a broody hen, which put me off the activity forever. Your ambiguous ending is somewhat chilling–will the promise be chicks, or breakfast?
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Chicks. For once her children will survive.
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Especially love that last line. The squabbling over the eggs, I could hear it and see it.
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🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the poem, D. Each reader sees what they see.
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imagistic and kinetic! A lovely write!
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Thank you, Frank 🙂
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🙂
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A lovely write and also informative. I especially like the feeling of hope that comes from “six oval promises”. Chickens deserve happiness too. I have learned much about chickens here in the comments!
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❤ Thank you Mish
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Truly beautiful and such a delight!
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Thank you very much!
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So welcome!
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