Bounty

Squirrels execute their difficult runs
along twisted branches with precision.
She worries that the Thanksgiving nuts we left
on the deck might weigh down their nests
past the breaking point.
I smile, imagining walnuts and pecans
stashed beside them while they sleep.
They probably store their food in other places,
but it charms me to suppose
they have that bounty close at paw.

December 8 2018