December 1, 2017

Poetry Friday--Chickens on the Loose!

Children's writer, and my dear friend, Andrea Murphy, is the teaching director at Hogarth Country Day School (preschool). On the 6th of November she posted a photo of her little students gazing out the front door of the school, enthralled by two beautiful Wyandotte chickens. She assumed their owner would notice they were missing and attempt to locate them. Two weeks later they were still hanging out at the school eating the last of bugs and seeds in the garden. No one had come forward to claim them, and so, with the help of students' parents, the two fowl were finally captured and taken off to a new home before winter snows arrived.

I asked Andrea to share her photos with me and I've written a tanka and a little ditty to go with them.


Photo © Andrea Murphy, used with permission. Tanka © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Text:

2017
the welcome mat still
at our door
despite the ever shifting
direction of country winds



Photo, © Andrea Murphy, used with permission. Poem, © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Text:

Welcome

How many borders
did Gallus gallus cross
before he was welcomed
as domesticus?

Gallus gallus is accepted as the progenitor of today's domesticated chickens, Gallus gallus domesticus.

Mary Lee will be hosting the Round-Up this week at A Year of Reading. Be sure to stop by and have a day filled with poetry.



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29 comments:

  1. jan godown anninoNovember 30, 2017 at 10:18 PM

    Such sweet photos of an unexpected feather friend visit . I appreciate the multilingual signs added. The "Welcome" tanka is especially clever.


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    1. Diane MayrNovember 30, 2017 at 10:34 PM

      Hogarth has always been a welcoming place, no matter what human language is spoken. It's not a surprise that those who speak chicken would find it welcoming, too.

      Delete
  2. Robyn Hood BlackNovember 30, 2017 at 11:14 PM

    Delightful, Diane, and the story, too! Sounds like a special place, and a lucky spot for these free range chicks to have gotten lost, since they received some TLC and relocation before their upcoming climate change. ;0)

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    1. Diane MayrDecember 1, 2017 at 7:49 AM

      And it's provided the kindergartners with a memorable experience!

      Delete
  3. Michelle Heidenrich BarnesDecember 1, 2017 at 9:54 AM

    Perhaps this randomly noodling chickens would like to meet my ditty of a rooster? Such perfect poetic responses to these fab photographs, Diane!

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  4. TaraDecember 1, 2017 at 10:35 AM

    Love those chickens! I'm especially enjoying "Welcome" - and the many layers of meaning one can read into it. Thanks, Diane!

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    1. Diane MayrDecember 2, 2017 at 10:07 AM

      I didn't necessarily start to write it that way, but you can't always control where the spirit leads you.

      Delete
  5. TabathaDecember 1, 2017 at 11:10 AM

    Gorgeous chickens and tanka! I wonder what happened to their original home?

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    1. Diane MayrDecember 2, 2017 at 10:09 AM

      They really are beautiful and you would think they'd be missed. And it's not like downtown Epping is overrun with chicken farmers! A flying saucer dropped them off maybe?

      Delete
  6. jamaDecember 1, 2017 at 11:43 AM

    Wandering chickens -- enjoyed your fetching poems! Love the timely theme of welcoming visitors. :)

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    1. Diane MayrDecember 2, 2017 at 10:10 AM

      We should always be welcoming--you never know what surprises may result.

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  7. Linda BDecember 1, 2017 at 1:27 PM

    I imagine those children fell in love with these beauties. Am happy you had a chance to get the photos and write about them so beautifully. Your connection to a 'welcome' is sweet, Diane.

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    1. Diane MayrDecember 2, 2017 at 10:12 AM

      Thanks, Linda. I can think back to when I was a kid and how much I would have enjoyed seeing a chicken up close.

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  8. Andrea MurphyDecember 1, 2017 at 5:00 PM

    I'm thrilled to have the Hogarth chickens immortalized in poetry. You made my day, Diane. Thank you!

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    1. Diane MayrDecember 2, 2017 at 10:13 AM

      Do you have visitation rights now that they've moved out?

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  9. Becky ShillingtonDecember 1, 2017 at 5:09 PM

    What lovely poems, Andrea! Thanks so much for sharing, Diane!

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  10. Julie December 2, 2017 at 1:22 AM

    We had six hens - Rhode Island Reds - for a few years and tried putting a new (and beautiful) Wyandotte hen in with them - ouch! We learned, sadly, what the phrase "pecking order" really means. Still, I miss my chickens & their whispering & clucking & gossiping. Love your post & poems, Diane.

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    1. Diane MayrDecember 2, 2017 at 10:15 AM

      One of the people in our writers group wrote a "pecking order" story with a not-so-subtle message for kids. I remember it 20 years later. It's such a powerful image.

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  11. Renee LaTulippeDecember 2, 2017 at 9:20 AM

    What a fun story! I recently had to research chickens for a project and was amazed at how many different kinds there are, and how beautiful they can be. These two surprise chickens are real lookers! Your tanka are perfect, especially the welcome one -- very clever! BAWK!

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    1. Diane MayrDecember 2, 2017 at 10:21 AM

      You're right about the variety, Renee. I looked at photos online to try to identify the Hogarth chickens. At first I thought they were Plymouth Rock Barred, but the feathers weren't quite right. I found the Wyandottes, and decided that must be the breed, but what do I know from chickens?

      Delete
  12. KayDecember 2, 2017 at 9:52 AM

    Those are beautiful chickens! We have a similar story as to how we became owners of a flock of chickens. It all started when a rooster showed up on our back porch and none of the neighbors would claim him. One did agree to take him since at the time we didn't have any place to keep him.

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    1. Diane MayrDecember 2, 2017 at 10:23 AM

      As far as I know, there are no chickens in my neighborhood, although we did once have a wild turkey walk across the lawn.

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  13. Mary LeeDecember 3, 2017 at 2:42 PM

    I learn so much from you! You say it all with so few words!! It helps to have such great photos to work with -- kudos to Andrea Murphy.

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  14. Matt Forrest EsenwineDecember 4, 2017 at 8:29 AM

    There are plenty of chickens around these parts, but none have strayed quite so far! Thoughtful lines you've shared, Diane.

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  15. Sally MurphyDecember 4, 2017 at 8:53 AM

    Such a clever response to the photos- and what beautiful chickens!

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  16. Michelle KoganDecember 6, 2017 at 8:17 PM

    These are fun Diane and the chickens are beautiful, thanks for sharing all!

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  17. Brenda at FriendlyFairyTalesDecember 7, 2017 at 3:25 PM

    Those are some handsome birds. I like your poems.

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