Ode To My Chickens

Three of my chickens are dead and they have left a hole in my heart, I want to mark their passing, prove that they were alive and very much loved by me, They were real, breathing and full of life from the start, Oh they made me laugh, so hilarious and quirky; such fun hidden away on our allotment, They did no great deeds, were not famous and hardly anyone knew they were there, Alert and trusting, they followed my steps, looked at me with their heads to one side, wondering and seeing, They slept in my arms and closed their tiny eyes when I stroked under their beaks, Laid eggs and loved wholemeal bread, sometimes combining the two in to a healthy treat in their run, pecking and pinching whatever they could, Stood on my spade when I was trying to dig, and ate the biggest worms I ever did see, Had me running in circles to catch them, jumped out of the hutch when I thought I’d put them in, Kicked over their food tin so I’d give them more and always hid in the shed, Rearranged their sleeping compartments when I had just cleaned them out, kicking the neat straw all over, Ate all of my winter cabbages and nibbled at my sprouts, sat on the compost heap and looked around, Queens of the allotment! Were brave in the face of danger, survived against the odds, When poorly, they slept cozily in my basement, and understood when it was time to die, They may have only been chickens to most, but to me they were my friends, Always pleased to see me, they needed me, and greeted me loudly every day, Three lives have been taken, but I will not forget them, I will look back and smile, and talk kindly of Muriel, Edith and Ethel, For they were the three hens that taught me that all life is precious, no matter how unnoticeable and small.