Black Rhombus

This morning on my trip down the island, everything was as usual until I got around the corner & up the hill in front of the b&b. In the road, in front of the house across the street from Mansueti, lay a duck that’d been killed by a car. No matter how many times I’ve seen this happen, it makes my stomach drop out, & an anger well up within me.

Has this happened before? Yes, unfortunately. I’ve seen probably ten ducks killed on that one stretch of road over the last year alone. I just don’t get it. There’s a small pool with fake geese in front of that house. The people who live there “decorate” the geese according to the seasons (rain coats, santa’s outfits). During spring, there’s almost always a pair of mating ducks who hang around that area. In fact, this pair is probably the one I’ve seen around campus lately. People know that ducks are in the area. There may even be a duck crossing sign in the damn street; but don’t quote me on that.

Ducks on the ground are slow. They waddle. They’re not zipping across the road like the idiot squirrels I have to run the gauntlet through down Sollers Wharf every morning. If you hit a duck in the road, you’re either out to do it intentionally, or you’re such an f’ing idiot that you shouldn’t be allowed to drive anyway. I don’t know which circumstance would make you the bigger asshole.

It’s spring. The duck that was killed was one of a mating pair. That female now has to deal with either finding another mate, or attempt the rest of the season on her own (if they’d already mated). Think about that the next time you round that corner, you idiots.

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On a completely un-related note, happy 4/20 everyone.