OUR EGGCELLENT FAMILY TREE

...there's SOMETHING weird perched somewhere up there in our family tree...

Uncle Bobby says I hatched
from an egg with polka dots. 
He says my brother hatched from one
with pink and purple spots.

He says our mother sat on us
for forty-seven weeks
before we pecked our way to freedom
with our pointy orange beaks.

Uncle Bobby says the webs 
between our toes dissolved
and then our stubby wings fell out 
before our spindly arms evolved.
​
I think I don’t believe him.
But (just between you and me)?
There’s something strange perched somewhere 
up there in our family tree.


About this poem: When my boys were about three and four, the oldest asked if he'd come from an egg. I said yes, and continued with what I thought was a brilliantly simple yet accurate response. My listeners glazed over, then dismissed it as nonsense. So the next time he asked, I said, yes, they'd hatched from eggs alright—Malcolm's had a purple shell and Griffin’s was green. That was much more satisfying for all parties. There is a time and a place for lying, and it is in the home when you have small children. 
Writing this poem, I thought about how everyone feels like their family is a little bit (or a lot bit) strange and crazy. In real life, Uncle Bobby is a family friend. His knees do not bend backwards. At least not that I'm aware of.

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