George and Tiny

George and Tiny

There they are,
see their bushy tails, but wait,
where are they now?
They move so fast,
are there one moment
and gone the next—

oh, I see them, high up in that old oak,
on those highest branches,
see, they’re looking down on us
and chattering as if we’re to blame
for whatever it is that bothers them.
Cheeky little devils that they are—

I can’t help but admire their
carefree life, or is it as it seems?
They have their foes
just like we have enemies,
but they seem, somehow,
to manage better than we do—

despite our sophistication,
our weapons of mass destruction,
yes, we have them, too.
The squirrels though,
despite their size and their seemingly
carefree lives, know how to make the most—

of play … it’s all a game, you see,
the hunting and gathering of seeds and nuts,
though deadly serious, it is a game
to be played often and every day.
So, George and Tiny, thank you,
thank you for inviting me to share your tree,
and wonder if you don’t have it right
with your tiny brains and bushy tails—
yes, I think you have it right.

Vi Jones
©March 21, 2006