Monday, July 11, 2011

I hit a pigeon with my car

Never Done: I hit a pigeon with my car

I swear I wasn't trying. I've been trained so deeply that birds will fly away when you approach them with the car -- even pigeons who appear more interested in their tasty morsels than approaching traffic. So as I approached three pigeons in the middle of 7th Avenue (Brooklyn) I didn't slow down and two flew away, and then suddenly I heard a small thump and saw a dramatic flurry of feathers fly up in front of my windshield. Shit. I hit a pigeon! I hit a pigeon? I hit a pigeon! I've never done that before. I can blog about it. Oh, that thought is even creepier than actually hitting the pigeon! Or is it? (That was my inner monologue, in case you were wondering.)

Is it appropriate to say kaddish and the Shehekhianu at the same time?

3 comments:

  1. I was under that same, "birds will fly away when you come driving down the street in your car" myth when I hit the seagull.

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  2. I used to think, every time I considered a social or environmental issue, that I should make a documentary about it. Now I think I should write a book or article or blog about anything and everything that is meaningful to me.

    It is what we do, as writers. And as Benjamin Franklin said, "The only question in life is, 'What good will I do with it?'" You've made some good of hitting the pigeon by bringing it to our attention so that we might avoid doing so -- or for those who have hit birds, by making them feel no so alone.
    With love,
    Lor

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