Feathers and Feelings: Second Life Animals and Real-Life Memories

    In this photograph, "Chilling with my chickens", I have used Silkie chickens by Aardvark.  

When I was a kid, I had this chick. I don’t know where it came from, but I remember seeing it walking aimlessly, chirping desperately for its mother. I decided to take care of it. I made a box for it to sleep in, but I discovered it rested better when I cradled it with my shirt. So that’s what I did. I fed, pampered, and named it Chicky.

As Chicky grew into a rooster, he became a handful. He would chase away some of our visitors, pecking at their ankles while I ran after him, trying to calm him down. Then the unthinkable happened. One morning, I woke up, and Chicky had become a tasty meal. I suspect that because he’d become a nuisance around the house, my mom decided to turn him into pinikpikan, a local soup cooked with chayote and salted meat or etag.

People who grow up around animals, especially in farming communities, know the complexities of raising them, whether as pets or for consumption. It’s a tale of heartbreaks, emotional investment, and the difficult realization that life sustains life, whether animal or not.

           "Ca-py-ba-ra" One of my favorite shots taken at Frogmore. This photo is also available for purchase at The Space Between Studio and Gallery.

Looking back, my experiences growing up with animals have undeniably shaped how I view food consumption and understand the nuances in conversations around ecocare and justice. In one of my conversations with a Māori woman, a fellow panelist in a discussion on the intersections between Indigenous rights and the environment, she shared about the Wildlife Act of 1953 in Aotearoa New Zealand. The law recognizes animals, rivers, and mountains as having legal personhood, allowing them to be represented in court.

"Patronize Me" shows birds just chilling in the sun; a laid-back moment of nature. Available now at The Space Between Studio and Gallery and at Kultivate Arts in-world.

Our discussion moved into Indigenous ways of being, especially rituals involving animals. In my context, the butchering of chickens is tied to rituals around harvests, illnesses, and communal gatherings. A friend of mine from the Maasai tribe once shared that meat consumption in their community is also rooted in celebrations and collective memory. I told him that, similarly, in my experience, butchering a pig is a communal affair akin to planting rice. Almost every part of the pig is used; nothing is wasted. This practice reflects a deep awareness of our dependence on nature.

This shared understanding—that land, water, and life are interconnected—is a foundational truth across many Indigenous cultures.

"Purring is my middle name" showcases the Sphynx cat from Rezzroom. 

Those conversations come to mind now as I write this blog with my real-life cat curled up beside me. I think about the bonds we share with animals that even in the virtual world, their presence graces our screens, captivating us and reminding us of the life around us. Perhaps Second Life mirrors our longing for a kind of co-existence not driven by survival alone, but rooted in mutual care and kinship.

Meet my writing muse. 

Got any memorable animal moments, virtual or real, that made you laugh, think, or just feel something?