Garbage and Chickens

August 2nd, 2009

I am just getting up for my morning bucket bath when I see the chick, hobbling around the courtyard. This chick and I have been through a lot. About a month ago, it got all tangled up with the fake hair used by the two boarders to make their braids. Apparently the chick had walked through it, getting it all tangled around its legs, connecting them in a handcuff of sort. Then a piece of metal got stuck the middle. I chased the chicken around then, finally catching it and pulling off all of the hair that I could. I couldn’t get it all off though, I needed scissors which I didn’t have at the time.

There isn’t any garbage collection here, at all. Garbage is thrown on the floor, whether you are in your house, courtyard, or out walking around. Courtyards and houses and cleaned daily, and the trash is piled up to burn. Trash on the street is just left to blow around until it finds its way close to one of the many burn piles.

This morning the hair had caused more problems. As the poor thing grew it had constricted more and more until today it was limping around. After chasing it around our courtyard I finally caught it. Armed with my toenail clippers I went about pulling every last piece off of the chicken’s leg.

I finish with chicken blood on my hands and a satisfied feeling. Every last strand was out, even the one that had cut into its leg. Strangely I was reminded of Captain Planet. The Power is Yours!