USA

jgatten@library.berkeley.edu

http://library.berkeley.edu/~jgatten

COWS & CHICKENS

Walking down the summer country road
on a Sunday morning,
on Grandpa Mac's farm
to deliver the sunday sermon
to a herd of cows.

Followed by my favorite hymns,
Separate by nothing more
than barbed wire between us,
the congregation softly moos
their chorus of Amens.

2.

Plunging thru the door
to the Big Chicken House
I pause for them to see
this is Grandaughter
here to help take care of them.

Poise to dip the ladle in the
oats & seeds & gravel buckets
gather the eggs
glide smoothly down the aisle

Offer them the latest songs -
"I Love You Truly"
"Give Me Five Minutes More In Your Arms"
& later,
"They're Not Making The Skies As Blue
This Year...Wish You Were Here"

Very sweetly sing or
they bring
the house down
squawk their uproar
of beating wings,
no eggs laid then.

If one hen goes up
the whole house goes up.

Better sweetly sing!

© Copyright, Joan Gatten.
All Rights Reserved. Printed By Permission.