About The Story
This artifact is a creative nonfiction narrative titled “Reggie,” which tells the story of a neighborhood rooster who regularly wanders into my yard and disrupts the quiet routines of the neighborhood. The piece demonstrates several of my writing skills including storytelling, descriptive detail, audience awareness, and the use of humor to keep readers engaged. Through this narrative, I practiced shaping a simple real-life experience into a clear engaging story with pacing, character development, and a consistent voice. The goal was to turn an ordinary situation into an engaging and relatable piece of writing.
The rhetorical context of this artifact is intended for audiences who enjoy personal essays and storytelling, such as readers of blogs, magazines, or community publications. The purpose of the piece is to entertain while also demonstrating my ability to observe everyday experiences and communicate them in a way that connects with readers. As the writer and as the narrator, I use a reflective and humorous voice to describe the events and the characters involved. I believe this story shows my ability to write clearly for a general audience and to use storytelling techniques to make a real-life moment memorable.
Reggie
Good morning, Reggie!
Reggie is my neighbors rooster… Technically, he isn’t allowed within city limits. But he is here anyway. Nearly five years…
I remember because chicks were scarce that year and I had bought three chick “hens.” As my chicks grew, I noticed that one of my hens started crowing. Every morning. And about every half hour all day long. He wouldn’t stay in the coop or run either. He would circle my house. Crowing. All day long. Man…. he could strut his stuff. A real Don Juan.
That lasted about about two to three days. I posted him on a local Facebook page as a real charmer, single and available. A few hours later, a friend of mine showed up with a carrying tote and the great, crazy rooster chase began! After about a half hour of three adults chasing him across my yard and jumping the fence into the neighbors yard in hot pursuit, we finally cornered him into the traveling cage and gave him a one way ticket.
I went to bed with a huge, satisfied smile on my face knowing I would not be waking up to his crowing the next morning. You’re welcome, neighbors.
The next morning, I woke up to more crowing of a rooster. What?!? It couldn’t be! I ran outside and checked the coop even though I was still in my pajamas. I ran around the house but couldn’t find him anywhere. It was several days before I finally discovered that my neighbors had a rooster in their new batch of hens too.
Reggie.
The neighbors rooster. A Golden Duckwing Phoenix.
Honestly, I have gotten used to the crowing now and don’t mind it. He beat my alarm clock this morning by one minute. I was already awake. One of my favorite things about summer is that the sun comes up before six am. I’m not sure why I like that so much, but I do.
About two months ago, Reggie started hanging out in my backyard. And my front yard. And my side yard. Every day I noticed that he seemed to be in my yard more than he was in his own yard. The neighbors yard. Then I started noticing that one of my Barred Rock hens, Wazowski, always seemed to be next to him. It seemed the two of them were inseparable. A couple of love birds in the backyard.
Reggie. A Romeo.
Over the next few weeks, the two of them were everywhere. It started to become a game in the neighborhood. Like a live version of Where’s Carmen Santiago? Whose yard were they in this morning when I left for work? Where were they at lunch time? And in the evening? Actually, they were somewhere new every hour. And people think their neighbors stray cats are annoying.
I live a half block from the highway and neighbors would tell me they saw them together on the highway. What? Now that’s going too far. I would pass them on my way home and tell them to go home, but they never obeyed. Honestly, I don’t think they even listened. They would just glance my way and continue their daily promenade. Wazowski following Reggie from yard to yard.
Reggie. A smooth operator.
Last week, my neighbors decided to give away all their chickens. No more Reggie? No more crowing all day long? Could it really be possible? Wait? Did you say no more morning crowing? I could get used to that!
I was worried about Wazowski. What was she going to do by herself now? Without her fearless Reggie, the heart breaker? Maybe I should let her go with them.
Then I found out they sent all the hens away, but kept Reggie.
Really? That’s the chicken they kept? The neighborhood invader? The alley trouble maker?
Reggie. The gigolo.
Reggie still circles my yard and crows all day long. Wazowski is always right beside him. The two of them still wander the neighborhood. Every. Day.
A couple weeks ago, I picked up six more hens.
It didn’t take long for Reggie, the Casanova, to discover my new flock. I’ve noticed that he has been hanging out in my chicken run a lot more often. I think he’s moved in.
Roosters.
We are definitely going to have to have a talk about boundaries. And monogamy.