Castrating Mind

yemenat

Ahmed Saif Hashed

I still remember the scene of them castrating the Eid ram. I watched in horror as they descended upon it with all their strength and weight. They grabbed its four legs, head, and rear, laying it on the ground and spreading its legs apart while it kicked and struggled in vain.

They placed a smooth, hard stone near its thighs, laid its testicles upon it, and began to strike them with a hammer. The ram suffered and resisted, but to no avail, under the relentless force descending upon it like fate. When they had completed their task, they released it after having destroyed its masculinity with the iron hammer.

I was engulfed in shock, unable to comprehend what they were doing. They had not told me anything beforehand about their intentions or what they were about to do. I was bewildered as to why they were striking its testicles. What had those testicles done to deserve such treatment? I was the only one present who felt the pangs of the moment and shared in the pain of the victim.

I was the only one lost in astonishment at what was happening. The only one grappling with questions while others paid me no mind, ignoring me completely. I had no power to prevent their brutal acts.

My curiosity, which had long been confined within me, could not object but did manage to ask my mother after everything had ended: “What did you do, and why?” Her answer was, “So it can grow quickly, and its meat can be good for Eid.” However, her answer did not satisfy my yearning. What did its testicles have to do with what she claimed? When I grew older, I read about the castration of singers to enhance their voices.

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