Comments on: I Want Chickens

By: Carol Crews

Carol Crews — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:59:00 +0000

Hey Sara, I just found this. I love it. ~ Carol

By: Carol Crews

Carol Crews — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:59:00 +0000

Hey Sara, I just found this. I love it. ~ Carol

By: Windsor Wilder

Windsor Wilder — Sat, 08 May 2010 14:14:45 +0000

The problem with rabbits is they're cute. That's why the army gives them to special forces candidates for their survival meal, unless they get a chicken. Everyone wants to get one of the few chickens but the NCO instructors reserve them for the NCO candidates they want in SF. The enlisted men get rabbits.

Get goats. Goats are good, they can live on blackberry vines, you can make very good cheese from the females milk and the males are easier to kill than rabbits. They're not very cute and some of them seem to be asking for it.

By: Eric Eicher

Eric Eicher — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:33:46 +0000

Sara, I enjoyed this a lot, not least because when I was little, we had rabbits because my mom ran a preschool, and though they produced no eggs that I know of, they were a nice friendly animal to have around, since though I don’t exactly know where the amazingly cute baby bunnies always went, now that I think about it, I saw nothing like this very vivid moment from your essay: “They bred and birthed and bounced around until we killed them.” That was more like a chicken’s life, where I was growing up (western Kansas), if you plugged in chicken words for the b-verbs you use about rabbits. So I can identify with your story kind of in reverse, and as others have noted, your wonderful voice makes this work on a level that it otherwise never would.

By: mdn

mdn — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:46:08 +0000

Such an intimate story, casual but touching at the same time. I really enjoyed visiting your life (or the life of the “I” presented here, anyway). Thanks!

By: Janie Epstein

Janie Epstein — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:31:02 +0000

Good clear writing. The reality of your experience shines through. I was hoping for an answer to the question whether you need roosters to get eggs. Experiencing difficult times (if they turn out well) certainly builds ones confidence to manage other difficult situations. I also like that you express the understanding you gained of your mother without over-explanation. The story brings the reader to the understanding on their own. Well done.

By: sarah

sarah — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:05:13 +0000

lovely, lovely voice. many things i’ll remember from this. you do have a knack for making me giggly and teary all in the same breath.

By: Amy Meckler

Amy Meckler — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:56:10 +0000

I love it. Your mother’s words are so lovely. I have friends who also want chickens, and I think it goes back to a desire to be self-sufficient. And a desire to care for living things.

By: danika

danika — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:36:16 +0000

this is wonderful, Sara. I love your voice, always the right mix of childlike wonder and profundity (which, come to think of it… often go together!).