For Ten Different Reasons

"Not something my parents would have done
for ten different reasons,"  he said.

Chicks galore, in all colors, lime, blue, pink,
chirping away under florescent light,
we'd buy them at Woolworths every Easter.

Being Jewish did not make this taboo
for my parents, but for his - no way.
Later, our chicks shed their dyed feathers.

Released into the living room, they'd fly
round in gay abandon - one chick, Snowy,
ever perching on my brother's shoulder.

With sticky seeds, feathers, spilled water, things
could get messy. Another reason his parents
would have said, "No thanks." Not to mention,
you could pick up all kinds of disease.

We grew up wild and wooly, helping my
dad run his business out of the house, but
we were granted freedom, like buying chicks

at Woolworths. As Frost said of his road,
"And that has made all the difference."




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