Flashes of Panic

As I pedaled up away from North Amherst this morning, I spotted a guy on the other side of the road. For the most part, he looked like a sort you see on the roads around here now and then—young guy, backpack, slightly dingy clothes. He looked like an AT through-hiker without the luggage, and I imagined him having recently spent the night “camped” at some roadside conservation area.

There was something funny about his backpack, though. When I was approaching him, it looked like he had a black garbage bag sticking up from the top of the bag and waving a bit as he walked. I looked back over my shoulder when I passed to confirm the impression, and realized that he had a grey tiger kitten riding on his shoulder, almost like a parrot. It had its front paws up on his shoulder to keep a lookout, and its back paws propped on the backpack.

It reminded me of the story last year about the subway busker in Manhattan who was arrested for having a kitten with him on the platform. Except I expect this kitten doesn’t have a criminal record.

Now playing: Color Bars from Figure 8 by Elliott Smith