Braggadocio

Current US ?

Early January we took our daughter to the secondary regional airport across, and beyond town, driving from our countryside home, past the city; continuing on the throughway, lined with densely populated suburbia. It was on this stretch, where, surprisingly, a rare buck had found his demise on the opposite roadway, hanging semi upright in the guardrails and propped up by a sign post behind, facing me, showing his crown of horns above his beautiful head. As surreal as this snapshot already looked, what made me register the scene, was the obligatory black Ford F-150 pickup truck standing beside, alongside traffic, on the emergency shoulder, and the driver walking in its blindspot toward the carcass. I took note to check on that spot upon our return, following an inward premonition, subsequent to living in this country for 30 years.

We dropped our daughter off for her flight South, and stopped at Trader Joe’s for a few items, as this is the store’s only location, a good 45 minutes from where we currently live. Back on said throughway, we were approaching the afore mentioned point of interest about 90 minutes later. I saw the weirdly vertical brown body approaching, and turned my head when driving by, now being up-close and personal.. The black F-150 was long gone, and so was the animal’s head, antlers, and neck. Only a deep crimson cavity in its chest remained, where the buck’s countenance had been, accusingly agape, evidence and proof to my earlier assumption.

When roadkill becomes a “hunter’s” trophy - why wonder about anything noble?