Generous Turkey
As a second grader I stood in front of an enormous Tom turkey during a field trip to a turkey farm. He strutted and stretched his wings, wobbled his gobble, and looked at us menacingly with his multicolored bald head. Who was this creature? I was mesmerized and a little afraid. I tucked my fingers safely into my jacket pockets. Better to be safe. Afterall, I remembered the ghastly black stain on Sonja Funk’s white t-shirt after she was bit by a goose. Birds are wild, dangerous, and sometimes they are dinner or a cold cut sandwich. It was all very confusing.
To further complicate this bird’s story is the myth that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be our nation’s bird instead of the bald eagle because it’s a more “respectable” bird. The turkey is without a doubt a native species to this land we call the United States, and it’s been an important bird for our consumption and survival. Is it the best tasting bird? That’s debatable. (As a vegetarian, I no longer have a bird in this fight.) It’s reported to be an incredibly difficult meat to cook without it becoming too dry. So, then, why do we cling to this bird as a symbol of gratitude during Thanksgiving holiday?
Jamie Sams and David Carson write about turkey in their book “Animal Cards,” and they say that indigenous peoples called the turkey the “Give-Away Eagle”. They say that “turkey. . . sacrifices itself so that we may live. In Turkey’s death we have our life. Honor Turkey.”
I think that is what we must do whether we are gathering around an autumnal table laden with platters, casseroles, and ladles, or whether we are packing our lunches for school. We must honor the turkeys who give their lives so that we may live.
As an adult, a vegetarian, I now live across from a farm where they grow turkeys. I watch them graze in the pasture. As Summer grows into Fall, they fatten and spread their wings with a certain silly nobility. I nod to them and wonder if they know what is ahead for them. I wonder who will be making them a part of their ritual feasting. Whoever they are, I hope they are thankful for this generous bird who gives-away with such silly grace.