Penned In

Penned In

from Homelands

a Traveling Tales of Waybackwhen book

Cock-a-doodle

how do you do?

Rooster, fair weather

shaking his tail feathers

strutting his stuff

never enough

that comb on top

preening, scheming

non-stop.

Rudest of dudes

leads his brood.

“with a
cluck-cluck
here, and a
clack-clack
there, here a
cluck
there a

clack
everywhere a
cluck-clack

cluck-clack

cluck-clack

cluck-clack”

chicken run,

racing down the tracks.

Which came first?

The ‘lectric or the lights?

Boxcars, larders laden

gently laid in

a mistake to break

a few eggs for

omelets.

Yard bull

the big shake

seeing red

busting heads

toe-to-toe

with hobos.

All the while

the wily fox stalks

over in the henhouse

picking up chicks

yip-yapping

yadda-yadda-yadda

jaws flapping

gotta gotta gotta