Ode to a Bird

Witnessed today on US Highway 49

At approximately 4:28 pm, in the north bound lane, a Ford Escape struck and killed an oncoming bird. The driver operating the vehicle, named Lori LaBate, and the passenger, Nicole E. LaBate of Chesterton, said that the bird came from the west at unusually high flying speed. It flew into and struck the antenna of the vehicle. The bird was pronounced dead upon impact and was found 25 feet from the accident scene. The occupants of the vehicle suffered no visible injuries, although Miss Nicole LaBate seems to have went into shock. She was seen frantically pulling at the steering wheel and trying to persuade her mother to back up and make sure the bird was really dead. She says she can still hear the thud of the bird against the antenna and is afraid she will need therapy to get the images and sounds from her mind. Services will be held over in the meadow by an officiating robin.