Julie Farstad, Peckers, 2006 (Artist Website)
Oil on claybord, 14 x 11 inches
The neighbors behind us built a coop.
Hammering for weeks, then a rooster crowing
all hours of the day. The brood teased our dog,
got her digging at the fenceline again. I stood
as close as I could get and cackled. Tried
to rile them. Then, just yesterday, we watched
the man of the house hold the biggest chicken
by his talons and carry him upside-down
to a white table, grab a mattock, press a knee
over a wing, and swing until his head flew into
the air. Both of us were dumbstruck. The back gate
itches with orange trumpet flowers.