Free Range
Even though I am her only one
She adopts things in lieu of me
The latest is a chicken from the neighbor’s yard
That she rescued after it was dropped by a hawk
When I discovered it on a recent visit,
There was a string tied around its foot,
Attached to the leg of a dining chair
Giving it a 2-foot radius by which to
Peck at the kitchen floor
My mother recounted a story of how
It had learned how to cough up the bits of plastic it swallowed.
She’s better at it every time, she said. She’s smart.
Sister, you have succeeded where I had failed
My mistake was in not coughing up
What had been given to me
ALL POSSIBILITIES ARE EVENTUALITIES