The Sand Hill Review               http://www.sandhillreview.org 2009

Why Chickens Have More Than One Life

From Arkadelphia, Arkansas: “Marion Morris saved her brother’s exotic chicken by administering mouth-to-beak resuscitation.”

She revived the chicken, whose name was Boo,

Coming upon it face down in deep water.

Mouth against beak, she blew

Two times into the space – few

Humans would have gone that far.

She revived that chicken whose name was Boo,

Named because this bird so easily spooked, flew

Up, wings spread, after dog’s bark or a noisy car.

Mouth against beak, she blew

As a retired nurse, knowing just what to do.

The feathered victim never fought her,

As she revived this chicken whose name was Boo.

They say even the wattle was turning blue,

Then its dad-gum eyes popped open, exclaimed the brother.

With mouth against beak, she blew

More years of clucks and grain to this life renewed:

The hen’s strawberry comb again showed color.

She revived a chicken, whose name was Boo.

With her mouth against its beak, she just blew and blew.

Janice Dabney