Pigeon Man
A gentle rain fell as I drove along a road bustling with traffic. A friend rode shotgun and we discussed current events.
A homeless man appeared on a sidewalk. He was somewhat slumped over and carrying a bag as he walked my direction.
I looked at him. My friend was facing me and talking.
There was something on the man's shoulder. It was a pigeon. A pigeon was perched on a homeless man's shoulder as he walked down a sidewalk in rain.
I did a double take. Was I really seeing this?
Yes.
I told my friend. She whipped around but missed it.
She didn't doubt me.
We discussed my observation and speculated on how it might have come to be.
Obviously the man had trained the pigeon. What was its name? How long had they been together?
A world of writing about the man and his pigeon opened to me.
Did I want to imagine it or did I want to interview him?
I wanted to interview him. I thought about turning around and finding him.
But I did not. I kept driving and we kept talking about the man and his pigeon.