Tuesday, September 13, 2011

I Know They Never Once Thought About Me Sitting in Their Future

Rain hammers the metal roof of my porch.
Lightning arcs toward a nearby copse of trees
and thunder drums, shaking cars, setting off alarms.
Outside my humble shelter, grey squirrel
hangs motionless, upside-down on wet maple.
He blends perfectly with maple bark,
leaving me to wonder at the mimicry of nature
and the tenacity of small squirrels
hanging upside down on wet trees.
Sipping my tea I consider the native people,
                 the first people,
wondering what their homes looked like on this spot were I sit—
considering the warm drinks they sipped during storms such as this.
Sassafras?  Spruce needles?
Wondering if small children sat with a tent flap
open to rain and thunder, laughing and wondering
at the sight of grey squirrels hanging upside-down on trees.

-----------------------------------------------------------(rhonda)

4 comments:

  1. I wonder who the inverted gray squirrels will be watching during the storms of coming centuries.

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  2. Nice imagery, I like the contemplative nature of this.

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  3. Observing nature can sure make anyone feel and think so deeply, but only if the person is a keen observer. I think you have accomplished that in your poem. Great work.

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