27 July 2010

BANG, BANG! Chirp, Chirp

A True Tale Of Two Bullets & Two Birds


By A.F. James MacArthur Ph.A.L.

After witnessing gunfire right outside my window and the accompanying speedy, yet unimpressive response by Baltimore Police, I decided to take matters into my hands.  As a former investigator, I know a few things about gathering evidence, so I decided to canvass the area.

Unlike the police officers who just slowly drove through the areas, barely bothering to come out of their cars, I took to the streets.  As police officers stood around doing nothing, one or two on foot, others sitting in their vehicles, I felt forced and compelled as a citizen to take action.

Pounding pavement moments after the incident, with full knowledge the shooter  was most likely still being in the immediate vicinity I set out.  Armed with nothing more than the power of observation, I interviewed several witnesses.  I also canvassed the area searching for spent shell casings, bullet fragments, or anything else that my prove useful.  The police did not.

In the early morning darkness, my visual canvass yielded very little.  However, later in the morning after the sun had risen, my routine daily walk produced a strange ironic coincidence.

One of my dogs began pulling hard on the leash towards a particular spot on the ground.  Looking closely, I observed a young robin madly flapping it’s wings but unable to take flight.  With all it’s might the poor winged fowl could not get off the ground. I felt pity and compassion for the desperate little creature as I pulled my curious dogs away.

Shaking off the sadness of the sight, we moved on with our walk.  Things remained uneventful until we rounded a bend to approach home.  Directly across the street from the after hours club where two shots were fired into the air, there lay another bird, this one half dead, and not able to move, save for blinking it’s eyes. 

Though both birds were still alive upon my discovery, it wouldn’t take a veterinarian to determine that both would soon be dead, there was no hope of saving them.  Much as I wished something could be done, I had to abandon all hope.

Living in Baltimore, I continue to encounter strange metaphors and symbolic observations that mirror real life situations.  So while Baltimore Police may wish to disguise that fact that shots were fired the night before, natured provided a reminder.

I thought to myself, could it be related?  Is it possible?  What are the odds of a gun randomly being fired into air; producing two bullets, killing two birds?



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