Happy Rodent

It’s been gray and freezing now
for nearly two weeks.
& we’re well into spring

we should be sitting on the grass
smiling in the sunshine
instead we’re ducking inside
hats & hoods

“too cold,” everyone complains
and we try to muster through
prolonged winter

is anyone happy anywhere
in this state
of eternal cold?

until you see one
silly squirrel on campus
playing with the branch of
leave-less bush
rolling around in the cold wet
dirt

and he looks so happy
playing with nothing
but a brown stick
the sky gray
the wind blowing
sleeting battering all
our hunched backs

how could he be so
delighted?
and I notice him
and shake my head

and he continues
to roll around
in the damp brush
giggling to himself


j. lawless
4/13/07
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