chicken dinner

what's it like

to kill

a live chicken i used to ask

my grandmother, Lena,

in south Philly.

what's it like to wring

it's neck,

cut it's head off,

then pluck it clean

of feathers.

and then

drop it into a pot

of boiling water

sprinkled with salt?

i'll show you, she used

to say,

bring that fat

one over here, go catch it.

she won't bite you.

i'll let you

do the honors

with the next one.