The Pecking Order Poem by Patti Masterman

If chickens are religious,
I just can't see it-
When they're hungry, they eat
When they're tired, they sleep
When they're horny, they lay an egg:
They're just not brainy enough to be pretentious
And in fact, their style of life seems
Entirely natural and not hypocritical at all
Therefore I must conclude by
Powers of deductive reasoning
That chickens do not have a religious
Drumstick, thigh, wing, or wishbone
Anywhere in their body
And they seem the better off for it.
When I was young I used to annoy the chickens
By preaching sermons to them in the yard
Though I did not know their persuasion
If they had one or what it might be
That is the last proof of their sincerity-
They have never held it against me.
Besides, all the religion atoms long ago drained
Entirely out of my body, so in truth
I am very much like a chicken now, myself.