#13
CHICKEN HEAVEN
Chickens are sacred emblems of the gods, celestial heralds, and spirit guides to the afterlife. In the courtyard of Blue Heaven (a well-known Key West watering hole), if one looks carefully, there can be found a rooster cemetery—that was used by Ernest Hemingway to bury his beloved pets. Chickens are believed to have special connections to the spirit world and are used as sacrifices for atonement. Divine chickens perch in Heaven, such as Gullinkambi in Valhalla from Nordic mythology and the white rooster seen by the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in the First Heaven. The song Every Day Is a Miracle, by David Byrne and Brian Eno, describes Chicken Heaven:
I imagine that when I die, I will travel through the tunnel of light where I meet all my loved ones and beloved pets that have passed over before me—and then I’ll see a little chicken running up to me: She is the friendly hen. I imagine Heaven as a giant white chicken, fluffy like the clouds, where everyone is safe under her warm and fuzzy wings.
Now the chicken imagines a heaven
Full of roosters and plenty of corn
And God is a very old rooster
And eggs are like Jesus, his son
I imagine that when I die, I will travel through the tunnel of light where I meet all my loved ones and beloved pets that have passed over before me—and then I’ll see a little chicken running up to me: She is the friendly hen. I imagine Heaven as a giant white chicken, fluffy like the clouds, where everyone is safe under her warm and fuzzy wings.
Jeffrey Vallance
Chicken Heaven (2018)
Digital image