the body

On our way home this evening, we saw a police roadblock blocking off the intersection of Holgate and 26^th Ave. Like most people, we looked down Holgate as we drove by. There was a motorcycle on its side in the middle of the road and another pile of debris not far from it. Everybody on the scene was keeping their distance from both. Someone died there tonight.

I didn’t want to be a looky-loo but curiosity got the best of me. My roommate and I walked down the street but turned before we could get remotely close. I couldn’t definitely identify the debris as a body but the size, shape and situation surrounding it all pointed that way.

I’ve only seen a few bodies in my lifetime. All of them have been at funerals and all of them have been family members. Looking upon a stranger’s body on the street seems invasive and surreal. However, I did want to pay my respects, so to speak. This person died close to my house, apparently from a motorcycle accident on a road on which I travel practically daily on my scooter. I have to look today but I will take a different path tomorrow.