Scaled

One runty, scruffy-looking
Grey chipmunk looked up at me,
A step away from my boot.

Humans long for human love,
Comfort, approval, esteem.
I don’t know any who don’t.

And then there’s nature. We want
Nature and what nature wants
As well—safety, shelter, food.

The chipmunk tilted an ear
And evaluated me,
Then scaled the ponderosa.

I considered the sunlight.
It would be something, to be
Without needing to persist.

I like the less-than-living,
The background of existence,
Light on rocks and water best.

Left alone, words are like stones.
If some think nature wiser,
Well, it’s certainly larger.