Why Did The Chicken Cross the Road?

A picture is said to be worth a thousand words. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me today when I saw the image of the day:

Sweating and reaching the point of fatigue when the muscles just begin to start shaking and struggling, I slow my run to a walk as I exit Parque Omar. Though I usually try to run the final half-mile to my apartment, I resign to walk it today. I have gotten up too late and the tropic sun pounds its rays upon my northern hemispheric body. While the verdant park provided intermittent shade and relief, there is little shelter from the sun as one enters the concrete city center just paces outside this oasis. Its force has not yet reached full-blast, but by 10am the sun has already warmed the surrounding air to a nice 90 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s about 32 Celsius for you non-U.S. ers).

Walking out of the park, I follow a two-way side street lined by middle class homes and their walled-in courtyards. There are a few small shops and people sitting and chatting or walking to and from wherever.

Directly in front of me, a proud rooster places his right talon into the road. I have seen this rooster before; he is trying to get back to his courtyard that lies across the way. The rooster stands tall and proud. His plump body is healthily covered with impeccably groomed feathers. The feather bases are white but fan out to golden tips, as if someone had gilded this rooster, because white would be far too plain for this regal bird.

Strong and confident, he begins his clichéd journey. But he has not yet reached the yellow line before a sputtering truck comes speeding down the next lane over, honking a warning to this brazen fowl.

For a split second, he thinks he can make it, but quickly his head jerks, left, right, leftrighleftright, left and causes him to decide it best not to abandon his kingly character to make a frantic run.  He pivots instead to return to the curb.

I kept walking through this event, passing the rooster as he returned to his originating corner. A few paces down the road I glanced back to see the pompous poultry gathering his composure to attempt his daring feat once more.

(+138 words)