baby squirrel
first of the year
i loved the way you ran away from me today
with a holey piece of thin dead leaf stuck on your nose
i love how your furry tail twisted in a gracefully panicked blur told me
that you were afraid of me
that you hated me and the space i took up in your territory
i loved your jumbled scramble up the tree
how your nails scratched at the bark, the clatter, the friction
i loved your escape from gravity and human courtesy
you made it easy for me to read your fear and dislike for me
unlike the people i meet who dare not say much
so they can be polite even though
the smell of my body and the wrinkles on my clothes do not suit them
you were not afraid to hurt my feelings to save yourself
you made me feel unwanted but you made it clear
and i like clarity with my pain
so baby squirrel
go tell your mother she's taught you well for me
and know that i love you even though you have good reason to hate me
and my kind.
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