Chalk Outlines

 The yellow police caution tape told me a grave accident had happened near the corner of the muffler shop and the park where they sell street tacos. A policeman was guarding the area and writing, or pretending to write, in a little notebook. I'm not morbidly curious about vehicle accidents but I am heavily invested in avoiding them so I will stop and study an accident scene to try to learn how I can prevent my future problems. There were pieces of a motorcycle strewn about the area and the large remains of the chassis was near a cement light pole. The motorcycle was closer to a scooter because the large banana seat was dangling off the side of the frame. Then I saw a pool of dark red blood with flies hovering around it on a steel sewer manhole cover. Then I saw the chalk outline. The policeman paid no attention to me as I paused and examined the shape of the chalk line. The legs were facing the wrong direction of the flow of traffic and the head area was over the steel sewer manhole cover. Yes, this was the dramatic end of a man's life. Mexico City has thousands of motorcycles delivering food all over the city and though I couldn't be sure since there was no food delivery bag nearby I was only guessing this was the occupation of the rider.

My conclusion was that the rider had been speeding South along Revolucion and may have been cut off or tried to swerve between vehicles and then lost control of the scooter and crashed into the cement light post, bouncing off the wall or the ground or another vehicle or all of the above. Then he spun around and fractured his brain and died on the spot before anyone could stop the bleeding.

I took away the lesson of speed kills and always ride a motorcycle like your life depends on it. Then I continued on to the gym where I stretched my aging limbs and avoided eye contact with myself in the mirror as I look like skeleton. Heavy rains soon washed away the chalk and a day later the caution tape was gone and there was no scrap of scooter remaining. Traffic sped past the location recklessly with loud tires on the wet pavement.