Thursday, September 22, 2011

the old things go, not one lasts

and there's something i should say about troy davis's execution last night in georgia, but what is there, really, to say? every once in a while, i come face-to-face with the fact that i live in a country where we kill human beings who might not be guilty.*


however, in more cheerful news, have i mentioned the chicken haikus? no, i don't think so, and today is the day to do it. my bruddy** adam and his family have a tradition of texting each other haikus about the chickens they sometimes see and sometimes don't see on their way to and from the sweeties' school. these are san francisco chickens, to be clear. sometimes the rest of the family gets involved, also via text. the poems that have resulted are absolutely amazingly wonderful. here, for your enjoyment, is yesterday's chicken-related exchange:***

adam:

count the humans: three
chicken watch chickens: zero
humans win again!

me:

near the white mountains,
chickens scattered through a yard.
"wild chickens?" asked mark.

adam:

oh, wild, wild chickens
migrating from place to place
can wild chickens fly?

david:

no chickens at work.
maybe these are ag students
studying poultry?

mom:

chickens are scarce here
in cambridge, but yesterday
i saw a turkey.




*"but what then is capital punishment if not the most premeditated of murders, to which no criminal's deed, however calculated, can be compared?" --albert camus

**"bruddy" = six year-old oona-speak for "brother"

***and yes, i am aware that i have the best family ever.

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