Home to roost

My sister had a fear of birds

She couldn’t put it into words

But if she simply saw a fowl

She would start to run and howl.

I’m told that once a turkey chased her

And our Dad could not placate her.

When my Mum bought 5 small bantams

My sister started throwing tantrums.

She refused to set foot in the yard

Unless she had a bodyguard.

More bantams hatched, my sister cried

Eventually she even tried

A course of hypnotherapy

She said it really helped her see

The reasons for ornithophobia

But didn’t stop it whelming over her

The only bird she didn’t hate

Was in an egg or on a plate

At last mum said the fowls must go

The health inspector told her so

I managed to sell off half a dozen

And gave a couple to my cousin

The other six hid in a tree

They still wake us up at half past three

Not only are they hard to catch

Every three weeks there’s another batch

I know I’m supposed to gather the eggs

But the chicks look so sweet on their little legs

And then my sister moved away

She couldn’t stand another day

I felt so bad when she left home

Though Dad said it’s because she’s grown.

Just recently, I’ve seen a change

I like it but it’s very strange

Last week my parents went away

And my sister came to stay

The hens clucked and the cockerels crowed

But if she was scared it never showed

I brought inside a little chick

I thought she’d go quite ball-is-tic

But no, she smiled and gave me a kiss!

I have to get to the bottom of this.

What caused this sudden transformation?

I wracked my brain for an explanation

She isn’t bothered by my hens

Or by my mess, or by my friends

I worked it all out in the end

My sister’s got a job – and a new boyfriend!

(I’m still going to sell the chickens though)

2014

Photo description: Two smiling boys aged 5 and 6, each cradling a newly hatched bantam.