Poem for Little Mateo

Three little feathery fat
Sleepy-eyed chooks!
Waiting for the sunrise
Waking up with clucks.

Jumping down from where they perch
Pecking at the straw
Here they come, the day's begun
Peeking round the door.

Down the ramp they march in time
Hopping off with glee
Fluffy-tailed and bright-eyed
One, two, three!

Dipping in the water bowl
Digging round the tree
What's for breakfast do you think? -
Kitchen scraps from tea!

Pasta, lettuce, fish or rice
Beef, tomatoes, stew
The chickens love their morning meal
From the bucket blue.

But something's in the henhouse
Something left behind
Look closely in the nesting box
What do you think you'll find?

One is pink and one is pale
And one is brown with specks
Nestled warm and freshly-laid
Three round eggs!

Running round the garden
Chickens love to play
They dig the soil and peck the grass
And while the day away.

Sometimes they get a visitor
The cat from next door stalks...
All three together shoo him off
With clucks and flaps and squawks!

But now the sun is sinking
And setting rather fast
Three chooks getting sleepy
Up on the ramp at last!

Elizabeth is first to bed
And hops up on the perch
Then Chicky-babe - but where is Jane?
We'll have to do a search...

She's not behind the flowerpots
She's not behind the tree
Aha! She's in the sandpit
She's always late, you see!

At last they're safe and snuggled up
They doze and cluck at me.
Goodnight, dear hens, now go to sleep
One... two... three.