Bright yellow beams of light
shot from the heavens, and danced upon the grassy ground as it
glimmered through the moving
branches semi-full with young green leaves, swaying in the gentle
Spring morning breeze. The two 80-foot trees firmly planted in
the backyard stood tall and strong parallel to the house,
worshipping the Sun with their uplifted limbs, as Nature’s
glory unfolded itself. Standing in total stillness I peered out
of the kitchen window overwhelmed with wonderment, while I
witness the squirrels interacting as if they were actors in a
screen-play reviewing their scripts upon a stage.
In "ACT I", two gray
squirrels with tiny palms grasping the bark of the tree on the
left, glanced at one another... unaware of me. Near the top of
the tree trunk one peered down at the other near the bottom with
wide deep brown eyes. At first both clasped the tree motionless
as if they were Grey-stone gargoyles guarding against an evil
spirit, or as two lovers looking deeply into each others
receiving eyes locked in a trance. Betrayed only by an occasional
brief flicker of an eyelid or the motion of the breeze on their
large fuzzy tails. Though time momentary stood halted for them,
nature’s living forces continued. As the cycle of life moved
on unconcerned, the surrounding grass gather water into its’
roots and light into its’ stems from the morning sun to feed
upon, the insects enjoyed feasting on the fresh grass, and in
turn the birds then feed upon the fat insects. Suddenly the
squirrels leaped to action as they scrambled up, then down the
tree, in a constant circling of the tree’s 3-foot wide
trunk, seeking one another in a mad dog to cat, or boy to girl
chase. For untold minutes they raced, taking turns in the chase,
changing directions as they ran. Up into the main four limbs they
scrambled as they pursued each other, hidden inside a sphere of
leaves, as if ...only they existed within the known universe.
Until exhausted and unable to maintain the demanding chase, a
squirrel retreated to the tree’s foundation landing upon the
grassy carpet below.
In "ACT II", the
squirrel stood as a man on his hid legs that laid hidden under
the moist grassy surface, turning his head with wide deep brown
eyes he glanced in all directions, as a turret on a tank seeking
out his enemy. Satisfied that no current dangers existed, he fell
to all four feet sniffing the ground. Scanning the area within a
twenty-foot radius around the tree with quick jerky movements as
he ran, his fuzzy tail curled up then lashing out like a whip as
he moved to each new spot. Soon the other squirrel also appeared
from the tree and traveled the length of the trunk to the ground.
In an well-orchestrated dance they alternated who stood watch,
while the other buried their head into the grassy surface in
search for food and water. At times it appeared as if they were
praying while they ate, standing with their tiny palms held
closely to their mouth. While both stood replenishing their
bodies they watched unconcerned, as another squirrel from a
neighbor’s yard joined in the food gathering, leaping from
the wooden 5-foot fence that separated the yards. For minutes the
three worked separately, not interfering with the other. Until
yet another squirrel running from the neighbor’s yard on the
left side, approached the nearest squirrel that stood between the
two 80-foot trees. Stopping short for second, he staring for only
a moment before jumping at the other’s back. Exchanges of
leaps occur between the two a few more times, like a cat leaping
at a surprised bird, until in the chaos all the squirrels
vanished in a mad rush to the safely above within the tree limbs.
Now with the stage empty of all the main actors, I withdrew from
the window to nature, and continue my role within the grandeur
stage called "Life!"
by David L. Davis - Spring '97
