Tree Study #2

Acorns accumulate
Dragging down the limbs ever so slightly
Flexing the stiff hardwood
With the kiss of tension and compression

A few squirrels happen by
Tiny clawed hands brushing the green 'corns
Still soft and sickly sour to their taste
One of those things that are passed down
But only believed once tried for themselves

As evidenced by a young squirrel in the background of the scene
Plucking a green acorn from a branch
Sampling the too tart nutflesh
A look of puzzlement upon the tiny pinched rodent face
Before spatting out the half chewed morsel
Like a professional tobacco chewer aiming for an invisible spittoon

The nut with a bite out of it
Tossed into a nearby stream with a half mighty throw
Perhaps to inspire some tiny computer maker downstream
Into having a new product logo

Or maybe not

Signature thick green leaves flutter in the breeze
Coming late and staying later
Sometimes to flutter down upon the first or second snows of winter
Much to the frustration of the gardener

Cycle performed year after year
For a century perhaps
Maybe more
Such is the life of an oak