by James Joy
A scientist will tell you
evolution proves the egg came first
cracked from a creature
not yet a chicken as we see.
An Indian might tell you
life as a force began from a sacred egg
that rose
out of the primordial ocean.
Shell splitting into sky and earth.
An Egyptian myth tells the story of the first egg,
laid by a celestial bird
on a mound of dirt
incubating Ra,the sun-god
warming the first sunrise.
Perhaps the only truth is: each answer paints a picture, tells a fuller story
For me, the chicken came first.
Red rooster, crooning, and clucking, and cutting through the morning.
They made me hold it as a child
From my shaking hands, the rooster wiggled half-alive,
sprinting in circles until it finally collapsed.
My cousin says he was too young to remember.
The egg came first for him
served on a plate with tea and pancakes
in the tiny hours before the school bus arrived.
Born to be discovered, an egg will always find its way.
And yet, some have never seen a chicken alive
puts things in perspective.
In the end
the answer depends on who is asked.
Paints a portrait
tells a story
and stories never end.
James Joy (they/them) is a Kenyan poet. They hope to one day have their own farm, full of chicken, full of eggs. Their work ins published or forthcoming in Dirigible Balloon, ANMLY, Kalahari Review, and Black Youth Project, among others.