A squirrel crossed the road
without looking afraid
of the wheels passing by.
It was after the nuts
someone had thrown.
It grabbed one,
munched on it a little,
then carried the rest
in its mouth.
It climbed the tree
and looked back at the human
through the branches,
hiding itself between the leaves.
Then it shook its tiny hands,
almost like saying,
thank you.
A sparrow landed
on the same branch.
It walked towards the squirrel.
They looked at each other
and froze.
For a moment
neither moved.
Then the sparrow flew away.
The squirrel,
afraid it might come back
for its nuts,
rushed down the tree
and disappeared
inside a hole.
It slowly poked its head out,
looked around,
and waited.
Maybe someone else
would throw more nuts.
Then the rain came.
Heavy.
People started running home.
The sky became dark
and the streets emptied.
The squirrel pulled its head
back inside the hole
and stayed there,
safe and dry,
with its nuts.
I was standing at the bus stop,
waiting for a bus
that was already
an hour late.
I watched the squirrel
and thought,
what if I were a squirrel?
I wouldn’t have to worry
about work.
I wouldn’t have to rush home.
I wouldn’t have to keep checking
where the bus was.
I would just find a nut,
carry it home,
hide from the rain,
and wait for another day.
Maybe that’s all life was
before we made it complicated.
Find something you need.
Hold it close.
Find somewhere safe
when it rains.
And wait.
The squirrel didn’t seem worried
about tomorrow.
It had its nuts.
For that moment,
that was enough.
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