At 20, she overdosed on sleeping pills in her mother's cellar. At 29, she drove her car into a river. At 30, Sylvia Plath finally killed herself by sticking her head in an oven. Think about that a second. One night, she placed wet towels under the doors to keep her babies safe, turned on …
Read from the beginning HERE. .................. DAY SEVENTEEN a chicken called Wanda Tonight I’m in Ollie’s old bed, watching Sophia play. Her room is way better than the bathtub. There’s so much to look at! Twinkly lights, gilded peacock wallpaper, bits of yarn, rainbow pens, swirly fan, picture books, Pokemon cards, soft poofy …
Read from the beginning HERE. ................... DAY FIFTEEN mac-n-cheese This morning I flew out of the tub and waited by the back door. Jennifer smiled super big then let me out with some fresh water and last night’s macaroni and cheese. Ollie came by and sniffed so we shared it. Then we laid …
Read from the beginning HERE. ................ DAY ELEVEN trapped Ol' spider finally trapped some food tonight. I’m relieved actually, she was looking a little pale. —still. Desperate buzzing is a very sad noise. That poor fly tried to escape, tangling deeper as she inched close, creeping in such a way, I felt glad to be down here. I …
Read from the beginning HERE. ......... DAY NINE Jennifer’s poor choices The humans have a girl hatchling, Sophia. She has very busy hands and hair like a bird’s nest. Everyday she sprays me with oil of the tea trees. She also taps my torn comb with a delicate contraption called a Q-tip. I enjoy her …
Read from the beginning HERE. ........... DAY SEVEN to the bone I’m not mad anymore. Just sore. And listening to humans is interesting. I’m learning lots of new words like predator, nocturnal, hydrogen, and peroxide. They’ve also been researching how to make me better. The Google says I must keep clean and hydrated. So today I ate …
Read from the beginning HERE. ............... DAY FIVE wee hours I can’t sleep. I keep waking and wondering where I am. Then I remember. The bathtub. I can’t tell if it’s morning or night or what. I miss the garden. The entire back garden is ours. Americana humans call it a yard but Christopher is British variety …
Read from the beginning HERE. .......... DAY THREE hunger They tried to make me eat today. I can’t eat. I can barely hold my head up. Please just leave me alone. DAY FOUR yesterday and today Sorry for the dramatics yesterday. I was in terrible pain. Maybe I should tell you …
I don’t think she’s gonna make it. ---overheard. DAY ONE pain My name is Beryl. I am a lady chicken. And today is the worst day of my life. Yesterday I lived in the yard with Wanda, Missus Jenkins, and my twin sister Babs. Today I woke up in a bathtub, and I …
Have you ever heard a chicken in distress? It sounds like a newborn pig being clawed to death. Go ahead and imagine that for a sec. Got it? That's what I woke to 12 hours ago. It sounded like this: Heeeeeelll heeeeeellll squeeeeeeeeee I felt it in my guts. So my eyes popped open. Really. A very upsetting sound. …
Jennifer Kabay 