In first grade,
my teacher brought in
an incubator with seven eggs.
Should any of the eggs
hatch,
the first students to bring in
permission slips
got to take home
a real, live bird.
We watched
and waited,
watched
and waited.
Finally,
one egg cracked.
Then,
another egg splintered.
One fluffy yellow chick
the color of butter
emerged.
A downy white chick
followed.
Nina Miller and I
were first
with signed slips.
Thus,
a few short days later
the sweet yellow fledgling
came home to roost.
My startled father
held his tongue
as my wild, generous mother
build a cozy, warm
nesting box.
What a lucky child
was I!
A Reading Life 
I love how you remember Nina Miller’s name, and how your father held his tongue, while your ‘wild, generous mother’ (beautiful phrase) made a nesting box. As a former first grade teacher, even one who hatched chicks in the classroom for many years, I would NEVER offer this to kids! How times have changed 🙂
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What a beautiful memory!
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As a child I was always trying to figure out how to get a pet. Oh how I would have hounded my mom over this one (she would have said no). But you were the lucky one, your mom said yes and you got your pet.
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