"Regret..guilt of let them died .."usually humans ..funeral homes are fulled of negleted people ..that let them died by family, friends..but still they are there ...at the Funeral Homes ...let them died..." Karen Mary Rappaccioli

The Tears That Flow at Funerals

Retold by Sir Mert Villanueva 

Once, a chicken was bitten by a snake. The venom coursed painfully through her body, and in desperation, she staggered back to the chicken coop where her fellow hens lived. Instead of finding care and comfort, she was met with fear. The others, afraid of being poisoned themselves, cast her out.

Wounded and alone, the chicken limped away, not because of the bite, but because of the rejection. Her pain was deeper than physical—it was the heartbreak of being abandoned by those she trusted. Fevered, weak, and dragging her injured leg, she disappeared into the distance. Some hens, unmoved, said she would surely die alone. Others even watched the skies, expecting vultures to circle above her.

Time passed.

One day, a hummingbird came with surprising news: the chicken had survived. She now lived in a cave nearby but had lost her leg due to the venom. Life was hard for her—she was struggling to find food. She needed help. The hummingbird pleaded with the coop for assistance.

But one by one, the hens gave excuses.

“I’m laying eggs…”

“I’m busy searching for corn…”

“I need to care for my chicks…”

No one went.

More time passed.

Then the hummingbird returned, this time with sorrow. “She is dead,” he said. “Alone in her cave. No one was there to bury her or say goodbye.”

A heavy silence fell over the coop. Guilt gripped every heart. Those who laid eggs abandoned their nests. Those who foraged left their grains. Even the mothers forgot their chicks for a moment. Regret had struck deeper than the snake’s venom.

Crying and mourning, they rushed to the cave. But it was too late. The chicken was gone. All they found was a letter:

“In life, many times people don’t cross the road to help you when you’re alive,

but they cross the world to bury you when you die.

And most of the tears at funerals are not due to pain,

but to remorse and regret.”

Real-Life Lessons from the Story

1. Fear Should Never Override Compassion

The hens rejected their own out of fear. In real life, people often avoid helping others due to inconvenience, judgment, or imagined risks. True empathy requires courage—the willingness to support others even when it’s uncomfortable or uncertain.

2. Excuses Today Become Regrets Tomorrow

The hens' reasons for not helping seemed valid at the time. But when death came, those excuses turned into sorrow. We often delay kindness, assuming there will be time later. But life is fragile. If you care, act—before the chance is gone.

3. Funerals Often Mourn Neglect, Not Just Loss

The deepest tears are often not just for who we lost, but for what we didn’t do when they were alive. Don’t wait until death to express love, give support, or show up. True mourning is avoiding the need for regret.

This story is not just about chickens—it’s about us.

Let us learn while there is still time to care, still time to act.