I walked up to a squirrel
and pointed to the stars
overhead shining in the darkness
of night.I said,
“Those are called stars.”I smiled at the squirrel
and pointed to an oak
whose trunk was twisted
in the nearby earth.I said,
“That is called a tree.”I then showed to the squirrel
the timepiece on my wrist
that glimmered in the bright
moonbeams.I said,
“This is called a watch.”I was so proud of myself
teaching this squirrel about what
was in this universe we both
lived in.I said,
“Now you understand these things.”He then looked up at me
with little black eyes
as I waited for any questions he
might have.The squirrel said
nothing and hopped away.
— LD —
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