I know it was before Christmas, but I’m not sure exactly when it first appeared. Was it the… I know it was before Christmas, but I’m not sure exactly when it first appeared. Was it the first week in December? The second? All that I know is that I stare at it every day, sometimes twice.

It’s the dead bird in front of the building with the large steps on Fifth Avenue, across the street from Saint Paul’s Cathedral. I think it has something to do with CMU – the building, that is, not the bird. Who knows about the bird. The only thing I know about the bird is that it’s dead.

Well, I know a little more. It seemed to be a pigeon in better days, back when it had more feathers and a greater ability to draw breath. It also appeared to have been killed by a cat, because there were signs of it being, uh, partially chewed. But that’s all I know really. Pigeon, dead, maybe a cat killed it.

The problem is that this dead bird has been on the sidewalk for nearly a month, fairly close to a garbage can. Now, I don’t like to complain about city services or anything, because that is obviously a tough and sometimes, I’m sure, disgusting job, but