November 2024
Autumn leaves shiver and shimmy in the wind, falling
brown, orange, red, or hanging tight ’till spring
A fat squirrel gorges on sunflower seeds, threatening the birds
until another squirrel takes over and bullies him away
Shooing them both, I call the chickadees, and a single one
flies in to grab a bite before the squirrels returned
when it finally rained another squirrel joined the duo
while the birds perched on the branches and waited,
watched and waited.
Carol Toba