The Spiritual Life of Squirrels, Part One

The squirrels in Arizona
are pretty...grey with speckles.
They seem to thrive most everywhere:
in the Phoenix heat,
around the red rocks of Sedona,
and all along the Grand Canyon trails.
This one volunteered to have his picture taken
...and then offered to climb my leg
to shake me down for food.
I reminded him that he is a ground squirrel,
not a shoulder squirrel.
He didn't actually make the climb
up my tall frame,
because I stomped and yelled in discouraging ways.
But he certainly thought about it.
The Grand Canyon squirrels,
for the most part,
are panhandlers and beggers.
Too many people have ignored the posted signs
and have shared their sandwiches and snacks.
Now the squirrels live to beg.
They exude a constant sense of need and want.
"Feed me feed me feed me feed me,"
say the hungry little beady eyes
as they stare intensely at you.
"Feed me feed me feed me feed me."