Tad
Richards
| What’s
That Over By The Wheelbarrow? in the approximate
vicinity
of the albino poultry. Donald Hall
Whatever chicken, broad or narrow, That pecked beside that red wheelbarrow, May have appeared, to judge or wino, It certainly was not albino. Mr. Hall, a farmer-poet- New Hampshireman, should surely know it. It may have been Ameraucana, Imported from Brazil or Ghana, Both noted for abundant fauna. Perhaps the Rumpless Araucana -- But could so much indeed depend On barnyard fowl with no rear end? Aseel, Cochin, or Barnevelder (You won't forget one once you've held her), The Cubalaya's a petite bird, but also Cuba's fighting meat bird. Antwerp Belgian, Belgian D'Uccle Booted or Sabelpoot, a muckle, Not likely it's a Chantecler, Even in Canada they're rare. Cornish, Delaware (rare), Dorking, Dutch or Hamburg might be working, To get an egg one fries or boils He might have chosen Faverolles, For an egg that's truly fresh, Langshan, Phoenix, or La Fleche, For oven or for frying pan American Holland, or Houdan. Chabo or Japanese (still called Japs in some parts of the world). Since so much depends upon her, Better not choose a Lamona, Red-ear-lobed and quite distinct, But quite possibly extinct. If the farm was near foreclosing Dr. Will might well have chosen Leghorn, big and white and mean, The ultimate egg-lay machine. He could have gone to court a dame With the Modern English Game, The game bird with style and carriage (Courtship might then lead to marriage). Or, if he's only after sex, Transylvanian Naked Necks Enchant the girl who loves to swing Or Russian Orloff, that wild thing. Orpington is big and friendly, Nothing fancy, nothing trendy Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island White, Yokohama, Rosecomb might Be dependable commodities, Not Silkie (oddity of oddities). Wyandotte's the "bird of curves," Still, that might get on your nerves. Sultan? No, it's all for show. Dr. William C. should go For something local, large, compliant, Dependable -- the Jersey Giant. With apologies to Donald Hall, William Carlos Williams, and poetry in general, and thanks to Ithaca College’s ICYouSee Handy-Dandy Chicken Chart >>>Barry Alpert
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