The worms underneath
have burrowed deeply
years ago, leaving nothing
for scavenging chicken limbs.
Still they traipse on dirt to disclose
a trail of hieroglyphics.
Chicken feet are meant
to rake chicken circles
onto anything they touch.
They carve farewell messages
then ride toward their big town
dreams. In truckloads,
they come back featherless,
clucking back to their maternal hens.
“Small Town Chickens” was printed in Derailed, No. 3 of Inwood Indiana. Pick up the paperback from Prolific Press; the stories and poems published online are free to read here.
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