Tub
Grandmother used
the same kind
of round, metal tub
that we put the Christmas tree in
to soak her laundry
before she washed it.
She used the same tub
to clean a chicken she'd kill,
holding it upside down by the legs
and chopping off its head with an axe,
holding the bird so that the blood
drained through the neck into a pan,
from which she's make blood pudding,
not letting the chicken run
around the back yard
flinging blood all over
like our neighbors did
for a laugh.
She'd plunk the chicken
into hot water
and let it set there
for an hour
to soften the feathers
so she could easily pluck them.
Copyright © Len Solo | Year Posted 2005
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