rooster

Summary

A reflection on the cycle of life and death is presented through the story of a rooster in the Amazon jungle, where the narrator learns about the gift of new life from the curandero.

Abstract

The narrative unfolds in the Amazon jungle, where the persistent crowing of a neighbor's rooster becomes a daily occurrence. The curandero, a local healer, suggests to the narrator that the rooster should be killed and eaten, representing a natural cycle of life and death. Initially resistant to the idea, the narrator grapples with the concept of taking a life, illustrating a moral dilemma. The curandero imparts wisdom about the understanding of life through death, emphasizing that this cycle is a fundamental truth. The rooster's mysterious disappearance spares the narrator from having to make a decision, leaving the fate of the rooster unknown and prompting contemplation about its potential new life.

Opinions

The author initially views the rooster as a nuisance but comes to see it as a symbol of life and death.
The curandero is portrayed as a wise figure who accepts death as a part of life and tries to impart this understanding to the narrator.
The narrator's reluctance to kill the rooster reflects a broader human struggle with the concept of taking life for sustenance.
The repeated conversations with the curandero suggest that the narrator requires time and repetition to fully grasp life lessons.
The rooster's disappearance is seen as a mysterious event that prevents the narrator from facing the reality of killing and also serves as a metaphor for the unpredictable nature of life and death.

rooster

a poem

the neighbor’s rooster kept coming in our yard every day in the jungle

roosters do not crow at sunrise they crow all day and all night they crow to other roosters or to protect their flock

so this rooster was a bit loud to say the least and every day the curandero said to me

today is the day you will kill the rooster and we will eat him for lunch

and every day I reacted the same way oh no, I can’t!

I don’t want to kill I don’t want to harm I don’t want to eat rooster for lunch

after a week of this same conversation the curandero said to me you do not understand what you have learned

that in dying we get a new life this is a gift this is how to live

this man knows death better than anyone he’s died he’s born witness he does not fear

and this time when he told me what I already knew I felt it I understood

I can be a bit slow, you see and I need to be told the truth over and over until I see it myself

I never had to kill that rooster because he disappeared mysteriously that very day

we do not know if the neighbor found him or he if flew away or if he got eaten by a snake

and so I wonder where is he who is he and if he died and got his new life

Thank you for reading! More tales from the Amazon jungle here:

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