They come running to the fence

Feathers fluffy in the wind

Eager, excited, and laughing

Jackie O with her pearl necklace

Bossy Pants dressed in red velvet

Peaches with her nude stockings 

Dorothy in a glamorous black evening gown.

And I remember the ones that are no longer here

Coco in her best brown pants suit

Sparkles with her golden egg

Silvia who shined bright like a shooting star

Aristotle with her badge of honor.

And I have asked myself

How many times can a heart break?

How can I live with my skin on inside out

And still walk through this world?

How does my heart stay open

to the depth in her eyes

knowing that her light will go out?

They sqwualk and sqwualk and I smile

I kneel down so that our eyes can meet

Their heads tilt with curiosity

their eyes focus on mine

And we are the same.

We both put ourselves to bed

and rest with the moon 

We both wake with the sunrise

and celebrate the new day

We both eat and drink and shit and bathe.

Our hearts race

Our skin itches

Our tempers flare

Our feathers ruffle.

And 

When the world gets quiet

and the temperature cools

When the light goes down

and the nocturnal beings begin to roam

We both very carefully

sweetly and gently

Step closer and closer and lean against one another.

For warmth

For safety

For comfort

For peace

For love.

We both love.

LLM

Dedicated to the rescued Hens at Elephant Belly Sanctuary.