but I ruined adapted your poem because I wanted to run a photograph of my chickens in the snow. I owe you one.
I'm A Chicken! Who are you? (288a)
I'm A Chicken! Who are you?
Are you — A Chicken — too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't squawk! they'd banish us — you know!
How dreary — to be — Something Else!
How public — like a Dog —
To bark your name — the livelong day —
To an admiring Blog!
On February 12th, the Poetry Friday roundup takes place at the blog I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read?
For the "poem" above, I used the version of Emily Dickinson's "I'm Nobody! Who Are You?" in The Oxford Book of American Poetry, edited by David Lehman (Oxford University Press, 2006).
Love it! I think Emily'd be proud.
Posted by: jules | February 12, 2010 at 09:14 AM
Hee! Love it, cluck cluck!
Posted by: jama | February 12, 2010 at 09:24 AM
That. Is. Awesome.
(Both the poem and the chickens!)
Posted by: Sarah Rettger | February 12, 2010 at 12:36 PM
Jules, Jama, and Sarah, a big buh-GAWK to y'all for stopping by. (Buh-GAWK is a big chicken compliment, of course, and often used to announce the arrival of an egg.)
The girls are fat and sassy these days, and send their best.
Posted by: Susan (Chicken Spaghetti) | February 12, 2010 at 01:44 PM
SO cute. And I think your adaptation is most sublime.
Posted by: tanita | February 12, 2010 at 02:17 PM
Quite lovely!
Laura Evans
Posted by: Laura | February 12, 2010 at 06:07 PM
Well, thank you very kindly, Tanita and Laura.
This storm has reminded me that I really do want to get them a new coop, where they can roost a little higher off the ground.
Posted by: Susan (Chicken Spaghetti) | February 12, 2010 at 08:31 PM
So much depends
on two chickens
pecking in the snow
wearing big hats or
red combs.
Posted by: Mary Lee | February 14, 2010 at 06:00 AM
Awesomeness, Mary Lee. Love it!
Posted by: Susan (Chicken Spaghetti) | February 14, 2010 at 02:40 PM
tee hee...
Our chickens won't leave the underneath of the barn, where they live, when there's more than an inch or two of snow.
Posted by: charlotte | February 16, 2010 at 11:26 AM
Susan,
Don't you dare apologize to Emily. This brightened my day -- along with your winter chicken photo!
Rose Kent
Posted by: Rose | February 16, 2010 at 04:01 PM
I'm glad to hear that, Rose! As you can tell, I get a lot of entertainment out of the yard birds.
Posted by: Susan (Chicken Spaghetti) | February 18, 2010 at 10:00 PM
Very nice to see chickens inspiring poetry, not just road crossing jokes!
A haiku:
Chickens in the yard
Enjoying sun on feathers
Will you eat my bugs?
Posted by: Simon | August 07, 2010 at 12:01 PM