by

Lit

That moment after the tree is taken down
not from greed but because the trunk has split
dangerous operation; all survive
Even the tree. A split 20 foot trunk may survive.
We won’t know until spring.
You are hunting in the sections that are down.
“Yes!” you say and hold them up.
“Invaders. They’re not native.
I shoot them when they steal the birdseed.
They crawl into the trunk to die.”
You hold a shriveled carcass up with each leather glove.
They too look like leather or shrunken heads.
Your smile lit up
at this evidence of your successful aim:
killing squirrels.

I think this is my first ekphrastic poem. Inspiring photograph, right? So that makes me laugh, it’s so gruesome. I was looking for a photograph for the Flower of the Day and came across this. Taken in January 2022.

2 thoughts on “Lit”

  1. lifelessons says:
    December 3, 2022 at 8:50 pm

    Poor squirrels. I say let them eat the birdseed. Actually, my husband devised a bird feeder that was strong enough to hold birds but when squirrels ran out and got on it, it dumped them over into the rosemary down below. Didn’t hurt them but sure did waste a lot of birdseed as it emptied the seed as well. The squirrels eventually learned not to even try.
    I enjoyed watching the squirrels as much as the birds, though.. and figured they needed to eat, too.

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